Female Student Recruitment in S.T.E.M. FieldsSatasha Green, PhD

Dean School of Education

Current Status of Women in STEM Fields

• Women:• earn disproportionately fewer S.T.E.M. undergraduate

degrees • hold nearly 50% of all jobs in the US, but less than 25% of

S.T.E.M. jobs • women with S.T.E.M. degrees are more likely to work in

education or healthcare than their male counterparts• 1 in 7 engineers are female (U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 2011) • no employment growth in S.T.E.M. jobs for women since

2000

What May Be A Cause?

• In K-12 settings young girls are rarely encouraged to pursue math and science

• Stereotypes:• science and math are “male” fields • humanities and arts are “female” fields

How can we promote female advancement in the S.T.E.M. fields? Two major issues we must address:

1) Training K-12 Teachers in S.T.E.M. Education

2) Encouraging girls in S.T.E.M. in early grades

It’s starts with Teachers

• Teachers can play a huge role in helping to decrease the S.T.E.M. gender gap

• Teachers do have an impact on student learner outcomes • U.S. school teachers have to help educate and engage

students in S.T.E.M. fields • Colleges and universities will have to train 25,000 new

K-12 teachers in S.T.E.M each year

THE WAY WE TRY TO RECRUIT GIRLS INTO S.T.E.M. FIELDS IS ALL WRONG!

We need to recruit by appealing to WHY we need them in S.T.E.M.

• We NEED you to help make the world a better place. • We NEED you to help discover the cure for cancer. • We NEED you because you have the ability to change the

course of humanity for the better.

Rework the K-12 curriculum

• An interest in S.T.E.M. needs to be cultivated at a young age

• K-12 educators should work to encourage young girls to pursue opportunities in S.T.E.M.

Promising Practices in K-12 Education

• Raise girls’ awareness of S.T.E.M. occupations • Help girls find relevancy in S.T.E.M.• Be aware that girls (and female teachers) may feel less

confident of their abilities to use new technology • Be aware of overt biases against girls – and be especially

alert for unintended biases against girls • Make use of the variety of resources available to help

students in general and girls in particular

Promising Practices in Higher Education

• Actively recruit women through multiple strategies• Provide adequate financial supports• Foster positive educational environments in which girls and

women are exposed to S.T.E.M. careers• Offering strong counseling, advising and academic supports for

students early on and throughout programs of study• Creating educational pathways • Conducting research on women and S.T.E.M. education

References

• Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education. (2011). Retrieved from: http://cadrek12.org/projects/community-advancing-discovery-research-education-cadre-0

• Etraining Pedia. (2013). Closing the STEM Gender Gap in K-12 Education: How Teachers Can Help. http://www.etrainingpedia.com/closing-stem-gender-gap-k-12-education/

• Huhman, H.R. (2012). STEM Fields And The Gender Gap: Where Are The Women? Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/06/20/stem-fields-and-the-gender-gap-where-are-the-women/

• Palek, J. (2012). Recruiting and Supporting Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Careers, Women View Retrieved from: http://povertylaw.org/index.php?q=civicrm/mailing/view&reset=1&id=219

• Popova, M. (2013). Explore. Retrieved from: http://exp.lore.com/post/48211165637/the-way-we-try-to-recruit-girls-into-stem-fields