Careers Have no Gender

Colorado Collaborative for Girls in STEM

Jennifer JirousSTEM & Arts Program Director

Colorado Community College System

Inventions by Women1. Kevlar (1964 ) Stephanie Kwolek 2. Nystatin (1950) Rachel Fuller Brown and Elizabeth Lee Hazen 3. Windshield wiper (1903) Mary Anderson4. Dishwasher (1886) Josephine Cochrane5. Square bottom paper bag (1871) Margaret Knight6. Colored flare system (1857) Martha Coston7. Compiler and COBOL Language (1950’s) Grace Hopper8. Liquid paper (1958) Bessie Nesmith9. Chocolate Chip Cookie (1930) Ruth Graves Wakefield10. Circular saw (1812) Tabitha Babbit

STEM SourcesWomen in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation (2011)

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics AdministrationESA Issue Brief #03-11

Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (2010)

American Association of University Women

Colorado’s K-12 STEM Ed Report Card (2011)STEMConnector

Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation

U.S Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration Issue

BriefAugust 2011

What is a STEM job?Professional and technical support occupations in the fields of computer science

and mathematics, engineering, and life and

physical sciencesSource: U.S. Department of Commerce: Economics and Statistics Administration, ESA Issue Brief #04-11, August 2011.

National Statistics (2009)

7.4 million workers in STEM jobs or 5.3% of the population

91% of STEM jobs require post-secondary education (2018)

Occupational area47% Computer and mathematical science 32% Engineering and surveying12% Physical sciences8% STEM management jobs

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce: Economics and Statistics Administration, ESA Issue Brief #04-11, August 2011.

Colorado Statistics (2011)

232,000 STEM-related jobs by 2018$74,958 Average salary (2005-2008)Occupational area

115,000 Computer and Mathematical Science58,000 Engineers and technicians30,000 Life and physical sciences17,000 Architects and technicians12,000 Social Sciences

Source: Colorado’s K-12 STEM Ed Report Card 2011, STEMConnector, 222.stemconnector.org

Women in STEM jobsWomen comprise 48% of workforce but only 24% of

STEM workersEarn 33% more than women in non-STEM jobs

making the wage gap smaller in STEM jobs than in non-STEM jobs

Those with STEM degree less likely than males to work in STEM occupation; more likely to work in education or healthcare

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce: Economics and Statistics Administration, ESA Issue Brief #04-11, August 2011.

Despite the positive trends in high school, the transition from

high school to college is a critical time for young women in

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

American Association of University Women (AAUW)

2010www.aauw.org

Female Male0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Intent of First-Year College Students to Major in Science and Engineering Fields, by Gender, 2006

Physical sciencesMathematics/ sta-tisticsEngineering

Perc

enta

geWomen are less likely than men are to declare

a STEM major in college.

Source: Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology. Data derived from Cooperative Institutional Research Program, Higher Education Research Institute, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 1990 through Fall 2006, www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.htm.

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500,000

600,000

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800,000

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1,000,000 MalesFemales

Year

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rees

Bachelor's Degrees Conferred, by Gender,1971–72 to 2006–07

Source: Snyder, T.D., Dillow, S.A., and Hoffman, C.M. (2009). Digest of Education Statistics 2008 (NCES 2009-020). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Women have earned the majority of bachelor’s degrees since 1982.

Women’s representation among STEM bachelor’s degree holdershas improved over time but varies by field.

Source: National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, 2008, Science and engineering degrees: 1966–2006 (Detailed Statistical Tables) (NSF 08-321) (Arlington, VA), Table 11, Author's analysis of Tables 34, 35, 38, & 39.

Bachelor’s Degrees Earned by Women in Selected Fields, 1966–2006

Women’s representation in the STEM workforce is also

uneven.

Biological scientists

Chemists and materials sci-

entists

Environmen-tal scientists and geosci-

entists

Computer scientists and systems ana-

lysts

Computer programmers

Computer software engineers

Chemical engineers

Civil en-gineers

Electrical and electronics engineers

Mechanical engineers

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Women are underrepresented in many science and engineering occupations.

Percentage of Employed STEM Professionals Who Are Women, Selected Professions, 2008

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009, Women in the labor force: A databook (Report 1018) (Washington, DC), Table 11.

AAUW drew on the large body of academic research on gender in science in a number of fields and

identified eight research findings that help to explain the underrepresentation

of women and girls in STEM.

Eight research findings in three areas:

• How social and environmental factors shape girls’ achievements and interests in math and science

• The climate of college and university science and engineering departments

• Continuing influence of bias

Why So Few? presents evidence that social and environmental factors contribute to the

underrepresentation of women and girls in STEM.

Girls’ achievements and interests

in math and science are shaped by

the environment around them.

Negative stereotypes about girls’ and women’s abilities in math and science

adversely affect their performance in these fields.

Expose girls to successful female role models in math and science.

Teach students about stereotype threat.

Source: Spencer, S. J., Steele, C. M., & Quinn, D. M., 1999, "Stereotype threat and women's math performance," Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 35(1), p. 13.

Performance on a Challenging Math Test, by Stereotype Threat Condition and Gender

In math and science, a growth mindset benefits girls.

Fixed Mindset Growth MindsetIntelligence is static. Intelligence can be

developed.Leads to a desire to look smart and therefore a tendency to

Leads to a desire to learn and therefore a tendency to

• avoid challenges • embrace challenges

• give up easily due to obstacles

• persist despite obstacles

• see effort as fruitless • see effort as path to mastery

• ignore useful feedback

• learn from criticism

• be threatened by others’ success

• be inspired by others’ success

Teach children that intellectual skills can be acquired.

Praise children for effort.

Highlight the struggle.

Gifted and talented programs should send the message that they value growth and learning.

Spatial skills are not innate and can be improved with training.

One of the largest and most persistent gender gaps in cognitive skills is found in the area of mental rotation, where boys consistently outperform girls.

Playing with building toys as well as drawing can help children develop spatial skills.

Women are “harder on themselves” in terms of assessing their abilities in math and

science fields.

Does this rectangle have more black or more white?

• Set clear performance standards• Help girls recognize their career-relevant skills

Bias, often unconscious, limits women’s progress in scientific

and engineering fields.

Even people who consciously reject negative stereotypes about women in science can still hold those beliefs at an unconscious level.

• Take a test to learn about your unconscious bias at https://implicit.harvard.edu.

• Take steps to address your biases.

Most people associate science and math fields with “male” and humanities and arts fields with “female.”

• Women in “male” jobs are viewed as less competent than their male peers.

• When women are clearly competent, they are often considered less “likable.”

• Raise awareness about bias against women in STEM fields.

• Create clear criteria for success.

Women in nontraditional fields can find themselves in a “double bind.”

Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

To download the report:www.aauw.org

To contact the researchers:aauw-research@aauw.org

Thank You!

Jennifer JirousColorado Community College System

Jennifer.jirous@cccs.edu