Copyright © 2007 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Why are Women and Minorities Still Underrepresented in STEM Careers? Susan Metz Founder and Past President Women in Engineering Proactive Network (WEPAN)

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20 th Century  Electrification  Automobile  Airplane  Water Supply and Distribution  Electronics  Radio and Television  Agricultural Mechanization  Computers  Telephone  Air Conditioning and Refrigeration  Highways  Spacecraft  Internet  Imaging  Household Appliances  Health Technologies  Petroleum and Petrochemical Technologies  Laser and Fiber Optics  Nuclear Technologies  High Performance Materials

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Why do we need to encourage students to study engineering and science?  In the last 50 years, more than half of America’s sustained economic growth was fueled by engineers, scientists and advanced-degree technologists, a mere 5% of America’s 132 million-person workforce.  Twenty-five percent of our scientists and engineers will reach retirement age this year.

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Why do we care if women & minorities become engineers and scientists?  As a consequence of a lack of diversity we pay an opportunity cost, a cost in designs not thought of, in solutions not produced. Dr. William Wulf, Past President, National Academy of Engineering  By the year 2050, 85% of the entrants into the workforce will be people of color and women. In 2006, women were 26%, African Americans 3.9% and Hispanics 4.4% of all STEM occupations.  If we do not engage women and minorities in the engineering enterprise, we are ignoring more than 52% of America’s intellectual talent.

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education The Changing Domestic Talent Pool

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education What mathematics courses are U.S. high school students taking? 2005

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education What science courses are U.S. high school students taking? 2005

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Intended College Major of High School SAT Test-Takers

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Little Change in Mathematics SAT Scores by Sex

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Mathematics SAT Scores Increased for Most Minority Groups

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Women and Girls in IT  Girls comprise fewer than 17% of AP computer science exam-takers. (Physics 35%, Chem 47%, Calc 42 & 49%, Bio 59%)  Between , the share of computer science bachelor’s degrees awarded to women dropped from 37 to 18 percent.

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Males Far More Likely to Plan to Major in Technical Fields Than are Females Source: CPST, data derived from Higher Education Research Institute

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Freshman Engineering Enrollments: No Progress for Women

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Progress Slows for Underrepresented Minority Freshmen in Engineering

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education The Decline of Women in Engineering Evident for all Races/Ethnicities

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education U.S. Undergraduate Engineering Enrollment by Sex & Race/Ethnicity

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Women Still Earn Few Bachelor’s Degrees in Some Engineering Disciplines

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Women in Selected Occupations 2007

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Minorities in Selected Occupations 2007

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Role of Community Colleges  A 2004 report from the National Science Foundation found that almost half of the more than 740,000 science and engineering graduates with bachelor’s degrees in 1999 and 2000 attended a community college at some point.

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education What impacts student interest in STEM and IT?  Engineering courses are not integrated into K-12 education.  Cultural and individual stereotypes persist.  A lack of awareness about what engineers and scientists contribute to the world.  Influential people in students’ lives are unfamiliar or uneasy with math, science and STEM fields.

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Are girls disproportionately affected by issues relating to interest in STEM? Study: Female Teachers’ Math Anxiety Affects Girls’ Math Achievement. (Beilock et. al., 2009) Finding: By end of school year, the more anxious 1 st and 2 nd grade teachers were about math, the more likely girls (not boys) were to endorse commonly held stereotypes (boys are good at math, girls are good at reading). And, these girls’ exhibited lower math achievement.

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Are girls disproportionately affected by issues relating to interest in STEM? Study: National Differences in Gender-Science Stereotypes Predict National Sex Differences in Science and Math Achievement. (Noseka et al.,2009) Finding: 70% of more than half million Implicit Association Tests completed by people in 34 countries revealed expected implicit stereotypes associating science with males more than females. Nation-level implicit stereotypes predicted nation level sex differences in 8 th grade science and math achievement.

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Are girls disproportionately affected by issues relating to interest in STEM? Study: Gender, Culture, and Mathematics Performance. (Hydea and Mertz, 2009) Finding: In US, girls and boys have reached parity in math performance at all grade levels. Among mathematically gifted, boys favor girls 4 to 2 but gap is closing and differences correlate with countries gender equity, indicating that the gap is due in large part to socio-cultural not biological issues.

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education The Challenge: Convert Perceptions of Students, Parents, Educators FROM THIS…  Nerd  Math and science geek  Must be brilliant  White male  Primarily works with machines  Communicates poorly  Boring/Rigid  Irrelevant TO THIS…  Creative  Enjoys and does well in math and science  Likes to solve problems  Works in teams  Improves people’s lives  Curious  Makes the world work

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education What can we do to encourage students to consider STEM and IT careers?  Dispel the stereotypes that persist.  Provide resources and information to students, parents and educators.  Urge educators who are uneasy with math and science to encourage students to explore the field (and hide their discomfort!).  Broaden perspectives about the profile of students (male and female of all demographics) who might be interested in or benefit from studying these fields.  Suggest that students investigate programs at colleges designed to introduce students to these fields.

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Barbie’s 125 th Career Computer Engineer "As a computer engineer, Barbie will show girls that women can turn their ideas into realities that have a direct and positive impact on people's everyday lives in this exciting and rewarding career."

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education What else can we do to encourage students to consider STEM and IT?  Remind students that taking math and science courses is important since so many careers in the 21 st century require this knowledge.  Integrate engineering and IT activities into existing math and science courses.  Organize a career program at your school and invite students and professionals involved in these fields to talk about what they do.

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Career Challenges for the 21st Century Energy Environment Healthcare Information Systems Security Communications Transportation

Copyright © 2010 Stevens Institute of Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education Resources to Help Students and their Parents to Explore Engineering  Center for Innovation in Engineering & Science Education:  ASEE Engineering K-12 Center:  Engineer Girl!:  Sloan Career Cornerstone Center:  Engineers Week:  Society of Women Engineers:  National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity  National Academies CASEE Virtual Support Network eees.nae.edueees.nae.edu  WEPAN: Making the Connection