STEMLaborMarketObstacles: WomeninSTEM

I. Whatdoesresearchshowaboutyourgroupsassigned issue?
AccordingtoarecentarticlebytheUSDepartmentofCommerce,ofthetotal availableSTEMpositions,24%arecurrentlyoccupiedbywomen.Raytheon recentlypublishedagraphicrepresentationthatstateswhileonly4%ofthenations workforceiscomprisedofscientistsandengineers,thisgroupdisproportionately createsjobsfortheother96%.1Combiningthesetwokeystatistics,wecan extrapolatethatoftheentireworkforce,roughly1%ofwomen,or1outofevery100, contributetothescience,math,andengineeringinnovationsthatcreatejobsforthe greatermajority.Withhalfasmanywomenworkingintheoveralljobforceasmen2, thisimpliesthatoftheSTEMworkforce,1outofevery4isfemaledespitetheshare ofwomenreceivingacollegeeducationinSTEMhasincreasedfrom46to49%as reportedbytheAmericanCommunitySurvey. ThetablebelowsupportsageneraltrendinAmerica,thatthoughthenumberof womenreceivingSTEMdegreeshasincreased,theoverallpercentoffemale STEMworkershasremainedconstant.

Inanarticleentitled,WomeninSTEM:AGenderGaptoInnovation,anotherkey discrepancywasidentifiedbetweenmenandwomen.Accordingtothe2011report, thereexistagenderwagegapbetweenmenandwomen:womenearn considerablylessthanmen,evenaftercontrollingforawidesetofcharacteristics

1

http://www.raytheon.com/newsroom/rtnwcm/groups/public/documents/document/rtn13_mathawareness_info _pdf.pdf 2 http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/womeninstemagaptoinnovation8311.pdf

suchaseducationandage.Onaverage,menandwomenearn$36.34and$31.11 perhour,respectively,inSTEMjobshigherthanthe$24.47thatmenearnand $19.26thatwomenearn,onaverage,inotheroccupations.Foreverydollarearned byamaninSTEM,awomanearns14cents(or14percent)less,smallerthanthe 21percentgenderwagegapinnonSTEMoccupations,butacleargender disparitynonetheless.3

AsidefromdatasupportingthefactthatwomenareunderrepresentedinSTEM relatedfieldsandcollegedegrees,itisalsoproventhatwomeninSTEMearn significantlyless.Thediscussionaboveprovidesdefiniteevidencethatamajor disparitybetweenmenandwomenexists,andthatmoreencouragementand supportneedstobeprovidedtoencouragegenderparityinSTEMrelatedfields.

II.

HowisthisaSTEMissueintheworkforceandworkplace?
AsidefromthedataprovidedinPartIofthispresentation,therearemanyother factorsthatcontributetotheissueofWomeninSTEM.Tostart,theUSDepartment ofCommercereleasedareportin2011,EconomicsandStatisticsAdministration ReleasesNewReportonSTEM:GoodJobsNowandFortheFuture,that indicatedthatgrowthinSTEMrelatedfieldsfrom2000to2010hasgrownby7.9% thatmeans,7.6millionpeople,or5.5%ofthetotalworkforce,wereemployedin

http://www.iseek.org/news/fw/fw8008FutureWork.html

STEMrelatedfieldsby2010.Sufficeittosay,weliveintechnologydrivensociety. Oureconomiesandinnovationsandonlylimitedbytheingenuityofourworkforce. Thatbeingsaid,thesamereportindicatedthatby2018,weshouldexperiencea growthof17.0%inSTEMrelatedfields.Thisimpliesthatiftheprevioustenyear periodexperiencedanalmost8%growth,andthesubsequenteightyearperiodis projectedtoexperiencea17%growth,thenthejobmarketforSTEMfieldsis acceleratingatratemorethandoubleoftheprevious10years.Thispointsouta significantneedinourownworkforceforhighlyskilledandhighlytrainedscientists andengineers.Unfortunately,justbecausethereexistsaneed,itdoesnotmean thatjobswillbefilled.Inapreviouslyreferencedreport,WomeninSTEM:AGender GaptoInnovation,theresearchersfoundthatWomenwithaSTEMdegreeare lesslikelythantheirmalecounterpartstoworkinaSTEMoccupationtheyaremore likelytoworkineducationorhealthcare.Infact,fromthesamearticle,thegraphic belowprovesthatmenaremoreinvolvedwithSTEMintermsofemploymentand education.

Forcitizensandadvocatesofgenderequality,thisissomeprettydiscouraging data: Womenhold1in4STEMjobs WomeninSTEMearnmorethanwomennotinSTEMhowever,womenin STEMearn14%lessthantheirequivalentlyeducatedmalecounterparts WomenholdadisproportionatelylessshareofSTEMdegreesthanmen WomenwhoholdaSTEMdegreearemorelikelytoworkineducationor helathcare

Sohowdidthisissuecometorise?Howisitthatmenaremorelikelytoearn degreesmore,earnmoreinsalary,andprogressmorethroughaSTEMfieldthan women?Itsastraightforwardquestionwithmanynonstraightforwardsolutions.For example,somewouldarguethatwomenarestilltryingtoovercomethemany stereotypesthathaveplaguedthemthroughouthistory:awomanshouldbea housewife,homemakerandmother.Thisargumentisthereasonformuchofthe inequalitywomenarestilltryingtoovercometoday.Thus,whenSTEMfieldsstarted tobecomeavailable,thankstothestereotypesandstigmasplacedonwomenover thecourseofmillennia,menalreadyhadanincredibleheadstarttoreachthefinish line. Butinthisdayandage,genderequalityisonthemindofmanyeducatorsand professionals.Despitewhatwomenhavehadtoovercomeoverthecourseofthe last50to100years,therearemanymodernfactorsthatsuggesthowthisgender disparityexistsinourmodernworkforce.Accordingtoareport,WomeninScience, Technology,Engineering,andMath(STEMthenumberonereasonwomendonot pursueSTEMinourworkforceisbecausethereexistsashortageofmentorsfor womeninSTEMfields.Thissuggeststhatwomentendtohaveahardertimefinding rolemodelsandmentorstohelptheminadaptingtoanewSTEMposition.Key variablesthathelpanyemployeemakeadjustmentstoanewpositionareoften overlookedwithwomeninSTEM,simplethingssuchasshowingthemtheropes andacknowledgingandpromotingaccomplishmentsmadeintheworkplace.These aretwoobviousnecessitiesforanyemployee'smoraleintheworkplace,andby omittingthesecommonsupportscaffolds,manywomenchoosetotaketheirSTEM degreeelsewhere. AnotherreasonwomeninSTEMisconsideredanissueisbecausethereexistsa

lackofacceptancefromcoworkersandsupervisors4 intheworkplace.Since womeninSTEMfieldsworkmostly,ifnotexclusively,withmen,thereexists possibilityforexclusionthroughsexualharassmentorvariousdiscriminatoryacts relatingtohiring,pay,leave,promotions,etc.Thesedisparitieshaveamajor psychological,emotional,socialandprofessionaleffectontheperformanceofthe workerwhoissubjectedtosuchdiscrimination.Theinabilitytocopewithgender differences,whetheritbethewayemployeesinteract,communicateorsocializeis anothercauseforconcernmainlybecausethewayapersonbehavesintheir workplacedependsontheatmosphereoftheworkplace.Imagine,wehavealready discussedthat1in4STEMpositionsbelongtomen,thereforewomeninSTEMare workinginamaledominatedenvironment.Thoughspecificbehaviorscannotbe predicted,itisacertaintythatawomanwillinteract,communicateandsocialize muchdifferentlyinamaledominatedworkplacethananequalorfemaledominated one.Therefore,thedisparitycanhaveaneffectonperformance.Subsequently,if theunequaltreatmentpersists,manywomenchoosetoleavetheprofession, especiallysincemostofthetreatmentcancomefromcolleagueswhoareina positionofauthority. Unfortunately,wehavediscussedthewhiteexperienceofwomeninSTEMitisfar hardertobeaminorityfemaleinaSTEMposition.

AccordingtothearticleSTEMGapWidensforMinorities,whitesaccountfor73 percentoftheSTEMworkforcewhereasAfricanAmericanandLatinosaccountfor 7percentdespitemakingupalmostathirdoftheAmericanpopulation.In comparison,17percentoftheSTEMworkforceiscomprisedofAsianAmericanor

4

http://www.iseek.org/careers/womenstem.html

PacificIslanders.Thisimpliesthattheexperiencesencounteredbyminoritywomen arenotidenticaltothoseofwhitewomen.Havingtoovercomeracialandgender inequalityisamajordetrimenttowomenintheprofession.However,thisalsopoints outanotherkeyingredient. Upuntilthispoint,wehaveaddressedthemajoraspectsthatdeterwomenfrom STEMrelatedfieldsasadults.Sadly,oureducationandsocialsystemhasbeen hinderingwomeninSTEMsinceelementaryschool.ManyU.S.studentslack adequateacademicpreparationinmathandscienceduetopooreducationintheir K12academicexperience.Othersfaceadditionalbarriersthatincluderisingcosts ofcollegetuitionandfewrolemodelsinthosefields.5 Accordingtoaninteresting studybyRaytheon,herearesomediscouragingfacts: 50%ofthecountrys17yearoldsarenotqualifiedtoworkina21stcentury autoplant only42%ofemployersbelievenewgraduatesintheworkforceare adequatelypreparedbytheircollegesorotherpreemploymenttraining programs 60%offourthgradersand66%ofeighthgraderswerenotproficientinmath 18%offourthgradersand28%ofeighthgradersfailedtoscoreateventhe basiclevelofmathcompetency ThesefactsandfiguressupportageneraltrendthatourK12andpostsecondary educationsystemsarelessthanadequateandsellingourtechnologyjobmarket shortbyprovidingunpreparedSTEMworkers.ThoughthePresidenthasrecently implementedapushforSTEMinourschoolsystem,manydifficultiesandhurdleslie intheway.Fundingtoteachthehandson,creativeproblemsolvingskillsthatSTEM focusesonisataminimum,ifitexistsatall.Andeducatorsstrugglewiththetiming andassessmentissuesthatarisebetweenanauthenticassessmentmodelfor STEMandthestandardizedtestmodelofournationsevaluationandAYP process.AnothermajorfactoristhequalificationsofSTEMinstrucotrs.Dowehave teachersofSTEMholdadegreeintheSTEMfieldtheyareteaching?Notquite. AccordingtoastudydonebyUSNews,ManySTEMTeachersDontHold Certifications,lessthan30%ofteachersofchemistryandphysicsinAmericas highschoolsholddegreesinthosesubjects.Thisimpliesthatthemillionsof studentsarereceivingSTEMeducationsfromlessthanqulifiedinstructorswhodo
5

http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/workforce/stemgapwidensforminorities20121212

notunderstandthesubjectmatterthroughandthrough.Thereforespendmoreof theirtimelearningthematerialthemselvesratherthandevelopingnewand innovativewaystoteachit.Thesecircumstancesthereforelimittheeffectofa STEMeducationinmostschoolsandunfortunatelydetermanystudents,manyof themfemale,frompursuingcareersandeducationinSTEMrelatedfieldsbecause personalexperienceinScience,Technology,EngineeringandMathwaslessthan ideal. Inconclusion,thehowthisispossiblequestionhasamultitudeofreasonsthat stemacrossthesocietalspectrum.Everythingfromdiscriminationofyoungand adultfemalestolackoffundingtointroductoryeducationalprogramstothewaywe rewardfemaleSTEMworkerswithlesspayplaysaroleindeterringfemalesfrom STEMrelatedfields.Ultimately,itsgoingtotaketimeandalotofcooperationto overcomethese1950sissuesfora21stcenturyjobmarket.

III.

How is your country overcoming the issue?

Despiteallthediscouragingdataandevidencesupportingthegenderdisparity betweenmenandwomeninSTEM,thereissomeencouragingevidenceof professionalsattemptingtoachievegenderparity.Intheprevioussection,oneof thereasonsthedisparityexistsisbecausewomendonothavementorstoaidthem intheirprofessionaldevelopment.Tocombatthis,theACLUandvariousothercivil andwomensrightsadvocacygroupshavecontributedtothedevelopmentof professionalwomensorganizationsandassociations:AssociationforWomenin Science,theSocietyofWomenEngineers,andtheAssociationforWomenin Mathematicsareexamplesofafew,andtheseorganizationshavenetworkingand mentoringopportunities(bothonlineandinperson)foritsmembers. Asfarascopingwiththegenderdifferencesintheworkplaceandthelackthereofof acceptancefromcoworkersandsupervisors,manyemployersinSTEMrelated fieldsareadamantlyseekingoutthetalentsofwomenbyprovidingflexibleworking conditions,mentoringprograms,andjobplacementthatencouragespromotionand leadership. Asweoutlinedabove,racialissuesaffectingminoritiesisalsoamajorcontributor tothelackofwomeninSTEMrelatedfields.InanarticlebyKunmiSobowale,The LackofUnderrepresentedMinoritiesinSTEM,whoalsoconfirmsthegender

disparityinSTEM,theauthoroutlinesthatacommonsolutionsliesinsocialsupport. Anumberofsuccessfulminoritytargetedsolutionsincludepipelineprograms, mentoringprogramsandprofessionalorganizationsallofwhichneedtoreacha wideraudience.Theauthorarguesthattoachievethiswideraudience,and thereforeprovideamultitudeofprofessionalsupportsandscaffolds,technology needstobeimplemented.Moreadvertising,moreaccess,andmorevisibilityfor theorganizationswillencouragegrowthofmembershipandthereforegrowthinthe fieldofminorities,primarilywomen,inSTEMrelatedfields. Lastly,toovercometheeducationalshortcomingsofourcurrentsystemof education,organizationssuchastheNEAarebeginningtoreachouttotechnology companiestoincreasethenumberofscienceandmathteachersinsomeareasof thecountry.Providingtheseresourcesandtechnologyisbeingintroducedacross theboard,atalllevelsofeducation,andisbeginningtosupportmoremodeling, inquiry,creativityandunderstandingintheclassroom.Variousothergovernment andpublicorganizationsaregarneringattentionintheirattemptstopositively influencefemalestudents.Forexample,ArgonneNationalLaboratoryinArgonne, IllinoisholdsanannualconferencewherebyThe conference is designed to expose students to a variety of careers in science and engineering and real-life women in those professions. I hope we inspire many of the students to pursue technical careers. If we broaden the outlook of even one girl it will be worth it. This opportunity for young female students to witness the achievements of gifted female STEM experts serves as an excellent motivational tool to promote the power of ingenuity and innovation in the field of STEM.

IV.

What are the implications for STEM educators?

Since President Obama as presented his plan to incorporate more STEM education into the United States schools, educators and government leaders have been scrambling to make the Presidents mandate a reality. This means educators, already stretched to their limits in some areas of the country, are going to be expected to do more with less. Beginning with training. The President discussed a plan that would provide a master group of STEM teachers to pave the way for the rest of the country. This entails a mass training of our nations educators in the ideologies and goals of what a STEM education entails. This training will consume time, money and effort on the parts of teachers, district leaders, and state boards of education alike. Once these trainings have been completed, STEM teachers will have to adopt the new objectives of STEM and

adjust their curricula to meet those objectives. Assessment is inevitable, and that goes for both the students and the teachers. Teachers will have to develop more authentic assessment techniques for the classroom while at the same time redesign existing lessons to better fit the definition of STEM. All this is being conducted to better improve the teacher as a whole. The logic in all this thus points out a common thread, once teachers because more confident, qualified and prepared to tackle this massive educational overhaul, their students will begin to reap the benefits. Especially as it pertains to women in STEM. Younger female students will have more opportunities to better develop their skills and will have qualified role models to guide and nurture their thinking as opposed to telling them what to think. At the upper levels of science and math teachers have always been judged on how well their students produce, but we think it is forgotten that if they do not have well qualified students entering their classrooms they will have more trouble getting done what needs to get done. Therefore, though testing and results of a STEM education will most likely be conducted throughout a students high school career, it is the foundation the student has learned in lower grade levels that paves the way for the students success. Thus, teachers in the lower grade levels will bear the brunt of the preparatory aspect of STEM whereas teachers of high schools will bear the brunt of high stakes testing scenarios (since they are the students most recent teachers). Thus the cross hair on the backs of teachers continues.

V.

Sources
Argonne.(2013).ScienceCareersinSearchofWomen.ArgonneNationalLaboratory. http://students.ne.anl.gov/schools/scsw.php Beede,D.,Julian,T.,&Langdon,D.(2011).WomeninSTEM:AGenderGapto Innovation.U.S.DepartmentofCommerceEconomicsandStatisticsAdministration. http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/womeninstemagaptoinn ovation8311.pdf Koebler,J.(2011).ManySTEMTeachersDontHoldCertifications.U.S.News EducationHighSchools. http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/highschoolnotes/2011/06/08/manystemt eachersdontholdcertifications Long,C.(2011).GenderGapinSTEMFieldsPersist.NEAToday. http://neatoday.org/2011/08/09/gendergapinstemfieldspersist/

Purcell,K.(2013).FiveWaystoGetGirlsintoSTEM.Edutopia. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/5waysgirlsinvolvedSTEMkarenpurcell Ramirez,R.(2012).TheNextAmerica. http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/workforce/stemgapwidensforminor ities20121212 Raytheon.(2013).The21stCenturyWorkforce:SkillsGap&theSTEMDilemma. http://www.raytheon.com/newsroom/rtnwcm/groups/public/documents/document/rtn 13_mathawareness_info_pdf.pdf