The issue of gender disparity is commonly discussed with people raising a concern about how women and men do not have similar opportunities. The world continues to evolve and women today have broken barriers in a number of male-dominated fields. However, there are still issues of disparity in fields of science and engineering. Most women who have pursued a career in STEM-related fields have not joined the science and engineering fields. The following is a look at the statistics showing the existence of the problem, followed by recommendations on how the issues can be addressed.
Studies show that there is an underrepresentation of women in the Science, technology, engineering, and math workforce. The statistic remains this way, despite the fact that women make up almost half of the United States’ workforce and college-educated people. There is an untapped opportunity for women to expand into these forms of employment. Studies by the American Community Survey in 2009 showed that 48 percent of the United States’ workforce was made up by women, however, only 24 percent had jobs in STEM-related fields (Beede et al. 2). The statistic has remained the same over a number of years. Among the STEM occupations, the representation of women is also varied. In 2009, the number of women in computer and math was 27 percent. In engineering, there is only one female engineer in seven engineers. The number of women in this STEM occupation has increased by 12,000 for nine years while that of men increased by 106,000 over the same years (3). More findings showed a variation in the earnings of people in STEM occupations based on their gender. People in the STEM fields earn considerably more than people in non-STEM jobs.
However, research shows that for every dollar earned by a man in this field, a woman earns 14 percent less. The variation differs depending on the STEM field in question. For instance, in engineering, the most male-dominated STEM occupation, women earn 7 percent less than men per hour while in physical science occupations, the wage gap is at 8 percent (5). The variation of gender differences in the STEM occupations is somewhat explained by the number of college-educated individuals for these jobs. Studies show that in 2009, there were 2.5 million women with STEM degrees while there were 6.7 men with similar qualifications. Another worrying statistic is in the number of women who end up working in non-STEM occupations despite their qualifications. About 40 percent of the men with STEM qualifications work in the STEM-related jobs while only 26 percent of women with similar qualifications end up in the same jobs (6). Also, the kind of job opportunities available differs with gender.
Men are likely to secure the management positions in STEM jobs while women are twice as likely to end up working in the education and healthcare positions. Approximately, one in five women end up in healthcare jobs compared to one in ten for men (6). Also, 14 percent of women are likely to secure education jobs in the field compared to 6 percent of the men (6). The statistics analysed so far show that there is a great underrepresentation of women both in STEM jobs and undergraduate degrees. Additionally, most women end up focusing on physical and life sciences in comparison to men who mostly end up in the engineering field. The variations are attributed to a number of factors, including the choices made by women and men in these fields and the likelihood of men securing job opportunities.
The number of women in STEM-related fields is different than it was before. These numbers differ with time and the culture of the people. In some places, this gap is almost closed while in others they have not yet seen the need to make adjustments. In most places, the participation of women in life science continues to increase. For instance, in Europe, women make up more than 50 percent of the people in biosciences. The representation of women in the harder sciences like engineering and physics is low worldwide. In the United States, the disparity exists as explained by the statistics above. Data to compare these numbers is not present in all regions. However, an evaluation of the number of women enrolled in universities in the Arab region varied from 82 percent in the United Arab Emirates and 44 percent in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Syria (Fernandez-Polcuch et al. 88). The number of women taking engineering courses is low. In South Africa, women are under-represented in engineering and natural sciences while overrepresented in health and social sciences. In regions where the world is poor, women are a huge percentage of the population and if their talents are tapped there is a rich potential for talented scientists, engineers, and innovators (Andres).
The role of science in improving people’s quality of life is more important than ever. According to UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), women’s participation in the scienctific field is important in reducing a country’s poverty level. Encouraging women to take part in this field can allow the country to maximise its human assets and improve its economic growth while empowering women. It is difficult in some parts of the world to find women in science-related fields and the number of women who continue to practice science even after their higher education degrees is under-represented.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, only 27 percent of the world’s science researchers are women. In Africa, Guinea has the lowest number of women science researchers at 5.8 percent, while countries like Cape Verde and Lesotho have bridged the gender parity (Fernandez-Polcuch et al. 119). In Asia and Pacific, Myanmar has the highest number of female researchers in the world at 85.5 percent with other countries in the region having attained gender parity. The countries include Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, and Thailand. In countries like Japan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, and Korea the number of women scientists is underrepresented.
People’s academic selection are the determinants of whether they will work in the STEM field and the field they will select. High school selections are the greatest predictors of a student’s college degree. The gender gap of the mathematics and science courses taken in high school has reduced over the years. A higher percentage of women than men have a higher expectation to attend and complete college, but 60 percent of the men show the expectation of taking science and engineering courses (Committee on the Guide to Recruiting and Advancing Women Scientists and Engineers in Academia 13-18). The number of women attaining undergraduate degrees has increased to 58 percent of them having earned a degree in 2002 (15). Also, the number of science and engineering degrees acquired by women has increased over the years. Research also shows that the number of students who intend to take these degrees in college and are likely to abandon the course before completion has increased. The statistic is attributed to the educational climate in the science and engineering department, increasing the percentage of people opting out of the course.
The decision of taking the science and engineering courses is fuelled by different factors for both men and women. Studies show that women are twice as likely to have chosen these courses because of the influence of a person in their lives like a relative or teacher (19). On the other hand, men are twice as likely to select the science and engineering courses because they were good in mathematics and science in high school. That creates the assumption that most men are confident than women to take mathematics and science courses in college. Also, there are different reasons why women and men opt out of their degrees (National Academy of Sciences 4-5). Men are likely to cite reasons of competition, loss of confidence, financial problems and course overload. Women cite reasons of better opportunities in the non-STEM courses and inadequate advice on the field (Committee on the Guide to Recruiting and Advancing Women Scientists and Engineers in Academia 22). The number of doctoral degrees in science and engineering awarded to women in the United States has increased (60-61). However, the number of these degrees awarded to men has decreased. Most women in science and engineering are concerned with research productivity
The number of high school students who are interested in pursuing courses in science and engineering is increasing. The number of high school graduates that have completed and graduated with a course more challenging than Geometry and Algebra has also increased. The interest of female students in the sciences is shown by the increase and so has the number of them taking math and science classes (15). More evidence of this increase is seen by the number of women taking advanced placement examinations. However, women and men pursue these degrees to different extents; most women choose degrees in biological and agricultural sciences.
There exist obstacles in recruiting women to the science and engineering undergraduate courses. These factors include negative attitudes towards these courses and the preparation to take the courses. Studies show that women are likely to take courses like geometry, trigonometry, and algebra while men are likely to take pre-calculus and calculus (25).
At the graduate level, the number of women receiving bachelor's and master’s degrees is almost similar to that of men. However, the same does not apply to doctoral degrees. Most students after undergraduate school choose employment instead of continuing with higher education. At this level, there are a number of challenges that should be addressed in order to encourage the recruitment of more women. These challenges include departmental culture, negative attitudes towards graduate career and education, and lack of friendly policies to accommodate women. For departmental culture, most female graduates are from undergraduate programs and their views about advanced course work could be marginalised (27). The relatively high number of male professors dominating the science and engineering departments is likely to be more comfortable working with male graduates. The faculty members may unknowingly and unintentionally show women that they are less welcome in their field. Family-friendly policies are also important to accommodate women in the education programs. Time spent in graduate school is more demanding and may not fit in the nine to five framework. As such, women being primary caregivers might have difficulty balancing this with their work and family responsibilities. Also, women may have negative attitudes towards graduate education and career. They are likely to be less interested in areas that seem male dominated, a view that could be reinforced during their study in male-dominated faculties. They also experience an additional challenge in employment potential and may question their value if they continued with education (28-29).
Recommendations
The increased gap between men and women in the fields of science and engineering requires a solution to bridge it. There are a number of issues that need to be addressed to make it possible for more women to enter this field. These issues range from education policies for employment and wage policies. The following are recommendations on how these issues can be addressed. Firstly, there is a need to create awareness about the gender disparity in these fields (Hill, Corbett and Rose 95). By doing so, people can work to interrupt and eliminate the thought process that creates this bias. Also, women in the field when encountering challenges due to gender discrimination it may be more encouraging to know that they are not alone. Furthermore, there is a need to encourage girls and women who wish to join this field to focus on being competent in their jobs. Studies show that women are usually disliked for excelling in male dominated positions. As such, in order to counter this social disapproval the best way is by being perceived as competent.
The solution to change the participation of women in engineering and science is often focused on how to ensure more girls enter and remain in the fields. These solutions are mostly geared to coming up with interventions. However, most interventions are said to work under the influence that they lack certain characteristics in terms of ability, interest, experience, motivation, and inspiration (Fox 122-123). To mitigate that deficit, more programs have been created, including internships, summer camps, mentoring programs, and seminars. Many have suggested the need to address issues within these fields to make them attractive to more women and girls. To achieve this, there is a need to address issues of cultural practices, organisational policies, and other structural elements that affect the participation of women in the fields and their success.
Some of the ways to make the fields attractive include creating financial incentives like fellowship programs and scholarships for female students (Roberts 14). Such measures are likely to be successful in increasing the number of women who make it to professional roles. The government can come up with policies to influence the gender balance in these fields (Roberts 13). For instance, the inclusion of more women in the policy process of funds and human resource programs is likely to improve their participation. Also, there is a need for the government to ensure consistent data collection of gender statistics used as indicators of the participation of women in STEM fields of work and study.
In conclusion, the gender disparity in other fields like business has reduced, but still remains in the fields of science and engineering. There are questions about why women do not pursue careers in these fields without following the traditional route of finding jobs of education and health care services. A number of factors contribute to this disparity, including the lack of friendly policies, the gender discrimination, the lack of equal employment and wage opportunities. Such factors discourage girls in high school and undergraduate school from pursuing careers in the fields. A number of studies have attempted to come up with recommendations on how the disparity can be reduced. There is a need to create awareness of this disparity, especially to young girls and encourage them to make a difference. Also, there is a need to solve the issues of inequality for women with careers in the fields. Such inequalities should tackle matters of wages and career opportunities. Women are able and equipped to secure any career just like men. The policies in our institutions and organisations should display this.
Works Cited
Andres, Jeanne. Overcoming Gender Barriers in Science: Facts and Figures. SciDev.Net, 2008. Web. <\http://www.scidev.net/global/education/feature/overcoming-gender-barriers-in-science-facts-and-figures-1.html>
Beede, David N, Tiffany Julian, David Langdon, George McKittrick, Beethika Khan and Mark Doms. Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration Issue Brief 04-11, 2011. <http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/womeninstemagaptoinnovation8311.pdf >
Committee on the Guide to Recruiting and Advancing Women Scientists and Engineers in Academia, Committee on Women in Science and Engineering, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine, Policy and Global Affairs, National Research Council. To Recruit and Advance: Women Students and Faculty in Science and Engineering. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press, 2006. Print. <https://www.ucalgary.ca/wao/files/wao/To%20Recruit%20and%20Advance.pdf>
Fernandez-Polcuch, Ernesto, et al. Science, Technology and Gender: An International Report. Paris: UNESCO Publishing, 2007. Web. 5 May 2016. <http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001540/154045e.pdf>
Fox, Marye Anne. Pan-Organizational Summit on the U.S. Science and Engineering Workforce: Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2003. Web. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK36359/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK36359.pdf >
Hill, Catherine, Christianne Corbett, and Andresse St. Rose. Why so Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Washington, D.C: AAUW, 2010. Print.
National Academy of Sciences. Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2006.Web. <http://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/pgasite/documents/webpage/pga_054743.pdf>
Roberts, Kelly. Engaging more women and girls in mathematics and STEM fields: The international evidence. 2014. Web.<http://amsi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/RobertsGenderSTEMreport2014.pdf>
