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Although women occupy almost half of all jobs in the U.S. economy, they fill less than 25 percent of STEM jobs.[i] |
The data point above highlights the low proportion of women who are employed in STEM occupations. For instance, only 14 percent and 26 percent of women are engineers or computer professionals, respectively.[ii]
Research has demonstrated that women drop out of the STEM pipeline at various points. Fewer women pursue STEM education-for instance, women earn only 18 percent of all computer science degrees.[iii] In addition, women who study STEM are less likely to work in STEM occupations.[iv] The situation is even worse for women of color.[v] Women who do work in STEM reap significant rewards; those with STEM jobs earn one-third more than women employed in other fields.[vi]
CTE helps bring young women into STEM fields by exposing them to a wide-range of STEM skills and occupations. When sharing this data with policymakers, parents and students, and career guidance professionals, highlight young women in your school or district who have gone on to further STEM education or excelled in the STEM workplace.
Learn more about CTE-relevant data with ACTE Fact Sheets.
[i] Beede et al., Women in STEM: A Gender Gap in Innovation, U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, 2011.
[ii] U.S. Census Bureau, Census Bureau Reports Majority of STEM College Graduates Do Not Work in STEM Occupations, 2014.
[iii] National Science Foundation, 2012, as cited in Scott and Martin, "Diversity Data Shows Need to Focus on Women of Color," Huffington Post, July 10, 2014.
[iv] Beede et al.
[v] Ibid.
[vi] Ibid.
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