Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)

Since the 2001 release of NCRW’s seminal publication "Balancing the Equation: Where Are Women and Girls in Science, Engineering and Technology?" women have made significant strides in STEM-related studies and careers. However, progress in some areas has fallen short, particularly in technical fields – engineering, biochemistry and computer science/technology – in which women are still largely under-represented. The barriers and obstacles to women’s advancement are numerous and complex including gender bias, lack of mentoring and economic hardship. Efforts need to be stepped up to reduce these constraints. Explore the resources listed below, including Related Categories links, or use the Keyword Search for more information.

Media Ignores the Importance of Housework in Divorce Rates and Career Advancement

Submitted by Kyla Bender-Baird on Fri, 05/28/2010 - 4:27pm

By Londa Schiebinger and Lori Nishiura Mackenzie

ORIGINALLY POSTED MAY 23, 2010 ON THE HUFFINGTON POST

The Telegraph picked up a recently published London School of Economics research about housework. They were in lonely company. The piece did not see the light of day in the Financial Times, The New York Times or the Washington Post. Why not? Could it be that housework is not considered a serious topic?

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Computer Engineer Barbie and the Role of Women in Tech

Teaser:

Twenty years ago, women were awarded twice as many computer science degrees as they were in 2008. Of course, there are more fields open to women today. But that only explains part of the reason this well-paid, fast-growing field is losing women.

“Though we can’t be certain of the cause of the decline, research suggests several likely possibilities,” says Catherine Ashcraft, senior research scientist at the National Center for Women & Information Technology at the University of Colorado. “Many of these are related to the image of computer science and the lack of female role models and mentors. Girls get subtle messages from all sorts of places — the media, popular culture, parents, teachers, school counselors, other authority figures — that computer science isn’t really ’something girls do.’”

Source:

Wall Street Journal

URL:

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/04/09/computer-engineer-barbie-and-the-role-of-women-in-tech/?KEYWORDS=women

Date:

April 9, 2010

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

Why Business Schools Are Failing Women

Teaser:

For decades, M.B.A. programs have failed to attract a critical mass of female students, even as admissions offices scramble to target their recruiting practices at women.

The numbers of women pursuing business education remains low. While law and medical schools have nearly reached gender parity, M.B.A. programs admit only about 30% women annually.

Women M.B.A.s also lack professional mentors and role models in the classroom, where female faculty represent a minority.

Source:

Forbes

URL:

http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/12/business-school-women-mba-forbes-woman-leadership-women.html

Date:

April 12, 2010

Affiliate:

Congressional Briefing: Making WIA Work for Women

Submitted by kpeterson on Wed, 04/14/2010 - 1:20pm

This document includes commentary given by Carolyn Williams, Ariane Hegewisch, Susan Rees, Marie-Louise Caravatti, and Mimi Lufkin as part of a Congressional briefing about the WIA on April 7, 2010.

Question: There are currently 17 accountability measures in WIA, states complain that all the do is measure. How much more can/ should we ask of them? How does this fit into the discussions to get "common data" across federal programs?

Mimi Lufkin: Accountability measures speak to policy priorities. They are important. That said, such performance measures would not require additional data collection - this data is already being collected, it is just not being analyzed; and all the analysis would require is an additional computer programming command.

URL:

http://iwpr.org/pdf/WIA_notes.pdf

Member Organization:

Institute for Women’s Policy Research

What A Difference An X Makes: The State of Women's Health Research

Submitted by jmumbey on Fri, 04/09/2010 - 4:14pm

Date/Time:

07/16/2010

This scientific conference will highlight advances in sex differences research and its implications on health and disease.

Location: Barbara Jordan Conference Center, Kaiser Family Foundation, 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

The registration fee for the conference is $35 per person.

RSVP NOW!

*For additional information, please contact Eileen Resnick at eileen@swhr.org

Women in Life Sciences Research Earn Less Than Male Counterparts

Teaser:

Women in life sciences research still earn less than their male counterparts, with no obvious explanation for the disparity, researchers found. After accounting for professional characteristics and publication volume, female researchers earned an average of $13,228 less per year than men, according to Catherine DesRoches of Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and colleagues.

Editorial:

Female professors were more likely to report participation in five of nine professional services activities, including serving as university administrator, member of a federal review panel, journal editor or editorial board member, chair of a university-wide committee, and officer of a professional association.

This increased time spent in nonresearch activities might help explain the decreased productivity among female faculty members of all ranks after accounting for demographic and professional characteristics.

The lower salaries for female researchers were consistent for all levels of faculty after adjustment for professional characteristics and productivity. The annual difference was $21,600 for assistant professors, $8,500 for associate professors, and $13,700 for full professors.

Source:

ABC News

URL:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/salary-inequality-exists-male-female-researchers/story?id=10273271&page=1

Date:

April 4, 2010

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

Why Women Leave the Engineering Field

Teaser:

For years, researchers have struggled to understand why so many women leave careers in science and engineering. Theories run the gamut, from family-unfriendly work schedules to innate differences between the genders. A new paper by McGill University economist Jennifer Hunt offers another explanation: women leave such jobs when they feel disgruntled about pay and the chance of promotion. In other words, they leave for the same reasons men do.

Source:

Time

URL:

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1976774,00.html

Date:

April 1, 2010

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

FAST FACT: Women Continue to Lag in STEM Fields

Submitted by Kyla Bender-Baird on Thu, 04/01/2010 - 12:44pm

By Kyla Bender-Baird

According to the recently released American Association for University Women (AAUW) report, Why So Few?, women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields, especially at the upper levels. True, progress has been made, but women earn only 20% of bachelor's degrees in physics, engineering and computer science. So what's the hold up? AAUW's report delves into the social and environmental factors that contribute to the underrepresentation of women in STEM professions. As AAUW explains, "biological gender differences, yet to be well understood, may play a role, [but] are not the whole story." AAUW turns instead to societal beliefs, learning environments, and gender stereotypes to explain the persistant disparities. To learn more, click here.

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High Performance Entrepreneurs: Women in High Tech (Whitepaper)

Submitted by kpeterson on Sat, 03/27/2010 - 7:20pm

New research shows what many have long suspected: women entrepreneurs are poised to lead the next wave of growth in global technology ventures. This report, prepared by Illuminate Ventures, documents the performance of women entrepreneurs in the past decade and the trends that are propelling them towards critical mass in the high-tech sector.

The bottom line: More than ever before, women are influencing the face of business. They are on the cusp of becoming a leading entrepreneurial force in technology. As the global economy regenerates, new business models are needed to stimulate economic and job growth. Investors seeking to reinvigorate bottom-line performance and to favorably impact the entrepreneurial strength of our economy would be wise to support strategies that enable high-tech start-ups that are inclusive of women entrepreneurs.

URL:

http://www.illuminate.com/whitepaper/

Women in IT: The Facts (2009)

Submitted by kpeterson on Sat, 03/27/2010 - 5:59pm

The technology industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S. The United States Department of Labor estimates that by 2016 there will be more than 1.5 million computer-related jobs available. Technology job opportunities are predicted to grow at a faster rate than jobs in all other professional sectors, or up to 25 percent over the next decade.

Highly-qualified women are well-positioned to move into these open jobs, yet the industry is failing to attract this talent. Furthermore, women already employed in the technology industry are leaving at staggering rates. Failing to capitalize on this talent threatens U.S. productivity, innovation, and competitiveness. To further strengthen the U.S. position as a technical leader we need to examine the reasons why the industry is not attracting more people with varied backgrounds and take action to stem the current tide.

URL:

http://www.ncwit.org/pdf/NCWIT_WomenInITFacts_FINAL.pdf

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NCRW is a network of leading university and community based research, policy, and advocacy centers with a growing global reach dedicated to advancing rights and opportunities for women and girls. We also have a Corporate Circle comprised of senior diversity professionals from leading U.S. and global member companies and a Presidents Circle of college and university leaders who share our commitment. NCRW harnesses the collective power of its network to provide knowledge, analysis, and thought leadership on issues ranging from reducing women’s poverty to building a critical mass of women’s leadership across sectors.

Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)

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