WHY DOES GENDER DIVERSITY IN STEM MATTER?
The benefits to gender diversity in undergraduate STEM fields begin in the classroom and, given that a bachelor’s degree is often the stepping stone to a career in science and technology, extend in to the workplace where its societal and economic impact can be huge. On this page we explore these motivations in greater detail. Whether you are a woman in STEM yourself or you are new to the issue, we hope to convince you that reducing gender imbalance in STEM undergraduate programs is a worthy pursuit.
GENDER DIVERSITY INCREASES OPPORTUNITY FOR FULFILLING AND LUCRATIVE CAREERS
As team of graduate students in STEM, we experience the daily gratification which comes with the study of science, the practice of scientific research, and execution of engineering design. The enjoyment that women can derive from careers in STEM in undoubted. Listen below to the L'Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Laureates explain their passion for science.
It is not only personal passions which go undiscovered as we fail to nurture women in STEM fields. Women are also unable to take advantage of expanding employment opportunities and earning potential associated with the trend toward a more technological industry. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that by 2022 the number of STEM-related jobs is expected to increase by 9 million above 2012 levels. A U.S. Department of Education study of bachelor’s degree recipients 4 years after graduation found that the employment rate of STEM majors was 3% higher than their non-STEM counterparts (85.1% vs. 82.1%) and the average salary for STEM majors was $65,000, compared to $49,500 among other majors. Furthermore, according to the US Department of Commerce the gender wage gap in STEM fields is 14%, considerably smaller than the 21% gender wage gap in non-STEM jobs.
GENDER DIVERSITY DRIVES INNOVATION
It is inarguable that science and engineering has a tremendous societal impact through innovation in the areas of medicine, infrastructure, and the environment. However, there are numerous examples of failed technologies which may have been a success if not for the lack of gender diverse input at the design level. The consequences of these often-catastrophic failures typically disproportionately affect women themselves. In engineering design this is typically the result of the use of the 50th percentile male as the reference model. The design of automobile airbags, for example, has disproportionately led to unavoidable deaths in women, and the recent introduction of female crash test dummies has led to the severe downgrading of the ratings in many popular vehicles. Early voice recognition systems performed poorly for women, an issue which still appears to need attention. The perspective of women in design teams could reduce the occurrence of such oversight and lead to more rapid development of technology which better serves the general population.
In fact, gender diversity in team environments has an impact far beyond designing to female end users. It has been shown that the general cognitive ability of a group is correlated with increased female membership and is mediated by the increased social sensitivity (Fenwick and Neal 2001; Williams Wooley et al 2010). It has been suggested that these positive effects are only realized when male dominance is overcome and true parity is achieved (Bear and Williams Woolley 2011), further emphasizing the importance of STEM where we are a considerable distance from 50% participation.