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Last week we joined the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and STEMconnector in a virtual Town Hall to review the findings of AAUW’s recent report Solving the Equation: The Variables for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing.
We work with a variety of public, private, independent, co-ed, and all-girls schools and agree from our own experience that more than ever before, girls are studying and excelling in science and mathematics.
That’s why it’s disheartening to see the results of this report. Despite an increase in girls’ educational achievements in scientific and mathematical subjects, this has not been matched by similar increases in the representation of women working as engineers and computing professionals.
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Just 12 percent of engineers are women, and the number of women in computing has fallen from 35 percent in 1990 to just 26 percent today.
Why? Engineering and STEM fields are not always perceived as accessible and desirable for everyone, including and especially women.
Just one indicator of this fact is that women are much less likely to intend to major in engineering in college. Nearly 1 in 5 men say they intend to major in engineering when they start college. For women, it’s 1 in 17.
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So what can you do as educators to help address this problem?
Social encouragement from family, friends, and educators, regardless of their technical expertise, is the factor most likely to encourage girls’ interest in computer science.
This report includes a wealth of recommendations for educators at all levels. Here’s a small sampling:
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For all educators…
- Spread the word that engineering skills are learned, not innate
- Frame adversity as a common experience for everyone in these fields
- Introduce girls to role models who they can relate to
- Create welcoming environments for girls in STEM with gender-neutral décor
- Provide girls with opportunities to tinker and build confidence and interest in their design and programming abilities
- Talk about the ways that engineers and computing professionals solve problems for society
For college and university professors…
- Emphasize the social impact of engineering and computing work
- Expand engineering examples beyond those that involve stereotypically male applications such as cars or rockets (these gender-neutral Everyday Examples in Engineering from the NSF-funded Engage project are a great resource)
- Split computing classes by experience, providing students with less experience in computing with the time and environment they need to build their skills and interest
- Take female students to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing or similar conferences
We recommend reading through the research, examples and data that support these recommendations. The full report is free to download here.
Or watch a recorded version of the Virtual Town Hall (which includes stories from engineering employers around the county on how they are tackling diversity gaps) below.
What are you doing to encourage girls’ interest in STEM at your school?
Tell us in the comments section below.
1 Comment
Marisol
That is an excellent point! According to a few stiueds, role models and mentors do make a difference. I’m hoping to write more about this. One assessment called the athena factor looked at women in science/engineering/technology and did find that women who have sponsors were less likely to consider leaving the field than those without sponsors.