Women and Girls in STEM Fields

Book excerpt: Written by a respected science educator and advocate for women and girls in STEM fields, this one-stop resource provides a rich overview of efforts to provide women and girls with greater access to educational and career opportunities in traditionally male-dominated STEM fields. Since the passage of Title IX, the numbers of American women working in STEM fields have increased, particularly in the social and biological sciences. Nonetheless, women continue to be underrepresented in STEM disciplines, accounting for less than a third of the current STEM workforce. When the intersection of sociocultural factors such as race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background are examined alongside gender, some demographic groups of women continue to lag in terms of representation in all STEM fields. The reasons cited for this continued state of affairs remain hotly debated, even as efforts intensify to break down longstanding gender barriers and bring women and girls into the worlds of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Women and Girls in STEM Fields provides wide-ranging, complementary coverage of every aspect of the issue, from the historical barriers that confronted generations of American women and girls interested in pursuing careers in various STEM disciplines to the laws and movements that dismantle some of those obstacles. Features include smartly organized chapters on major trends, issues, debates, and historical moments; carefully selected profiles of the key organizations and individuals that have shaped discussions of this subject in Washington, D.C. and across the USA; a suite of original essays from educators, scholars, and women writing about their firsthand experiences in today's STEM world.