Chapter 10: Gender Equity in STEM: Increasing the Persistence of Females in the STEM K–12 Pipeline

In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the importance of gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Despite the tremendous progress that women have made in educational and occupational attainment, females continue to be underrepresented in the STEM fields. The gap between males and females is particularly striking in certain STEM disciplines such as physics, engineering, and computer science and in STEM leadership positions (Hill, Corbett, & St. Rose, 2010; Schiebinger, 2010).

There are several reasons for promoting STEM careers among females. First, there is the issue of social equity. All individuals, regardless of gender, should have the opportunity to pursue STEM education and occupations. Second, though STEM professionals make up a small minority of the workforce, they are critical to innovation and promoting economic competitiveness (NAS, NAE, & IOM, 2005). There is also a need to build diversity in the STEM field. The lack of female researchers and innovators in STEM has been described as leading to “the exclusion of specific types of knowledge women develop and maintain as a consequence of gender roles” (Schiebinger, 2010, p. 3). Another reason for promoting STEM education and careers among women is to reduce the gender pay gap. The STEM field is characterized by higher wages than other fields, a smaller wage gap between male and female workers, and better job security. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, women in STEM occupations earned 33% more than women in non-STEM occupations (Beede, Julian, Langdon, McKittrick, Khan, & Doms, 2011).