The gender wage gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers is alive and well as you can see in the Women in Science: Under the Microscope I shared on Women on Business earlier this year.
More women are needed in STEM careers (learn three critical reasons why), but the number of women pursuing STEM careers is actually decreasing. In 1985, 37% of computer science bachelor’s degrees were earned by women according to the National Science Institute, but in 2010, this number dropped to 18% as you can see in the infographic below.
Fortunately, some companies are making efforts to attract more women to STEM careers. Many of these efforts are targeted at girls with the hope of generating interest in STEM careers at an early age. However, the root cause of the STEM gender gap problem is unlikely to be lack of interest in STEM fields. Instead, the problem today is the male-dominated culture of the STEM field that women have to tolerate both in college and after they’ve graduated and been lucky enough to land a job in STEM.
The STEM field is still heavily-dominated by men and a unique boys’ club culture exists that needs to be eradicated. Take a look at the infographic below for more details.
Courtesy of: Techschool.com
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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