Getting women in STEM careers

Women have been fighting an uphill battle when it comes to landing a career in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Many young women, even as children, struggle to get their voices heard in these school subjects and as a result, turn to more “traditionally” female fields such as language arts or visual arts.

Even if women do stick with a field that is more male-dominated, they still face a discrepancy in their pay. A recent New York Times article points out that even though women are now more educated than men and have similar work experience, they still get paid 20% less on average. This is probably why only 1 out of 4 women who hold a degree in a STEM-related field actually work in that industry.

At the end of February, President Trump signed a bill that’s aimed at getting more women employed in STEM fields by encouraging groups like NASA and the National Science Foundation to help recruit and support women as they study and pursue related careers.

Trump stated that bills like these will be a priority for him while he is serving in the White House. When speaking on the current environment for women in STEM, he stated, “[t]hat’s really going to be addressed by my administration over the years with more and more of these bills coming out and address the barriers faced by female entrepreneurs and by those in STEM fields.”

We can only hope that these efforts lead to positive changes for our industry, and related industries that benefit from recruiting the sharpest minds… regardless of gender.