TECHNOLOGY
Making STEM More Inclusive
There are ways to help women and girls join the growing field
BY Linda Farley
W
e have an opportunity. In 2015,
women held less than 24 percent
of jobs in science, technology,
engineering and math in the United
States, despite making up more than
47 percent of our workforce, according
to a report from the U.S. Department
of Commerce. But nearly a decade ago,
Microsoft projected 1.2 million job
openings in STEM occupations by 2018.
Additionally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
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Statistics forecasts overall employment
to grow 5.2 percent between 2018 to 2028,
while STEM occupations are projected to
increase by 8.8 percent.
This job growth means more op-
portunities for women to work in STEM.
It means more girls can aspire to work as
scientists, doctors, engineers, computer
programmers and statisticians. These
types of jobs also pay well. According to
the Department of Commerce report,
“women with STEM jobs earned 35 per-
cent more than comparable women in
non-STEM jobs — even higher than the
30 percent STEM premium for men. As a
result, the gender wage gap is smaller in
STEM jobs than in non-STEM jobs.”
A 2018 report published by Microsoft
called “Closing the STEM Gap” sought to
understand the attitudes of girls toward
STEM subjects and ways girls can be
supported. The report found “31 percent