91短视频

skip to content

Women and STEM, Sealing the "Leaky Pipeline"

May 16, 2019, by Tracy Covey, professor of chemistry

Employment opportunities in STEM-related fields are one of the fastest growing areas both locally and nationally. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that STEM fields will grow 50% faster than the economy between 2016-2026. As an additional plus, these jobs will likely pay 30-40% more than their non-STEM equivalents. So the immediate outlook for our majors in STEM fields looks bright—after graduation and training, there will be high paying jobs waiting for you!

But looking a little closer at the data, it seems this path to success is not as straight forward as that. The US Department of Commerce data shows that women make up 50% of the workforce yet only hold 29% of the STEM careers. This number is actually a little worse in Utah, where women make up only 23% of STEM workers. So that begs the question: why are women under-represented in an area where more jobs and higher salaries are promised? To paraphrase Bill Nye on his recent visit to Weber State, “Women make up half our population; I don’t see why we can’t make room to give them half our STEM jobs.” 

This problem is often described as a ‘leaky pipeline’, where we lose females from the start of their education well into their careers. There is a decline in female interest in STEM as early as elementary school. This is likely due to unfounded gender stereotypes surrounding math and science, such as girls are bad at math and only geeky kids like science. By the time high school seniors are graduating, a substantial gender gap exists in male vs. female interest in pursuing a STEM degree. In college, gender stereotypes persist. These issues are compounded by the educational environment, a perception of ‘not being good enough’, lack of a STEM identify, and perhaps a shortage of female peers/mentors. Once women graduate and get jobs in the STEM field, they are rewarded with lower pay than their male counterparts; in Utah, the worst rated state for the gender pay gap, women make only $0.70 for every dollar a man makes. Attrition of women in STEM fields persists, as over 40% of women leave a full-time science job after having their first child (compared to 23% of men). The upshot of this leaky pipeline is that we end up with a dearth of women in STEM jobs that are creative, lucrative, and important. 

You may be one of these women trekking at some stage on this STEM path or you might be working alongside them. Remember that knowledge is power. Understanding potential pitfalls mean you can navigate them better, or at least work to reduce their effect on you. But just knowing about common pitfalls doesn’t mean you can avoid them altogether. Just ask any of your female professors about their experience with the ‘leaky pipeline’; everyone has a story. I went to college wanting to be an engineer. My freshman year schedule included Calculus, General Chemistry, and Physics. I was completely overwhelmed and intimidated in my physics class, where I didn’t understand what was going on nor did I feel like I belonged. Although I wasn’t super interested in chemistry as a career, I felt like at least it made sense so I decided to try another chemistry class. As is common for women, my interest in chemistry grew with my confidence in my ability. I didn’t really love chemistry until I worked on a summer undergraduate research project, which inspired me to move on to a medicinal chemistry graduate program. Despite milestones of success on my STEM path, I never felt like a chemist and I often questioned my credibility to be in the room. This is so common that it is actually given a name: Imposter Syndrome. I still struggle with it today. However, I have been both purposeful and lucky to have supportive and encouraging advisors, mentors, family, and friends along my path.

So despite any negative statistics out there, this is YOUR path and you get to choose where to take it. Importantly, you are not alone. Surround yourself with friends who cheer you, peers who collaborate with you, and mentors who value you. Get involved in research to inspire you. Join student clubs to empower you. Seek out help where you need it. You belong here. And if you forget that, I know many faculty with open doors—mine included—who will be happy to remind you of it.  

 


BACK TO BLOG

Let's Connect!


#WeberScience
science@weber.edu
801-626-6159

 

Office hours


Semesters
Monday - Thursday:
6:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday: 6:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday: 6:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.                  Sunday: Closed

Holidays & Breaks                         Hours may vary

Mailing address


91短视频
College of Science
1415 Edvalson St., Dept. 2501
Ogden, UT 84408-2501

Building location


Tracy Hall Science Center (TY)

Click for campus map