The headlines regularly call America out on the issue:
- Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation
- Why it’s Crucial to Get More Women into Science
- “Girl Day” Addresses Lack of Women in STEM Fields
The White House has a page dedicated to Women in STEM and there are now countless organizations dedicated to the development of technically capable women.
Dr. Mae Jemison, Astronaut, First African-American Woman in Space
The National Girls Collaborative Project has some compelling statistics on the issue, noting that “Women remain underrepresented in the science and engineering workforce, although to a lesser degree than in the past, with the greatest disparities occurring in engineering, computer science, and the physical sciences (NSF, Science & Engineering Indicators, 2014).” Among their findings: There’s a higher percentage of women in the social sciences (58%) and biological and medical sciences (48%) with relatively low shares in engineering (13%) and computer and mathematical sciences (25%) (NSF, Science & Engineering Indicators, 2014). And while women make up 47% of the total U.S. workforce, their distribution in technology and science fields is relatively low:
- 39% of chemists and material scientists are women;
- 27.9% of environmental scientists and geoscientists are women;
- 15.6% of chemical engineers are women;
- 12.1% of civil engineers are women;
- 8.3% of electrical and electronics engineers are women;
- 17.2% of industrial engineers are women; and
- 7.2% of mechanical engineers are women.
A recent study from Northwestern University (Report: No ‘Leaky Pipeline’ for Women in STEM) suggests the problem is not due to a “leaky pipeline”- “Men still outnumber women about 3 to 1…But the differences are not explained by gender bias in the pipeline – the percentage of women earning pSTEM (adding physical science to the acronym) degrees is now higher at the doctoral level than at the bachelor’s degree level, the researchers found.” Instead, says researcher David Miller in the article, “We need to start reframing the conversation from instead of just trying to plug leaks, we need to get more students interested in the first place.”
And that’s the whole idea of Hillsborough Women in Tech, a free public event that Eureka! Factory is helping organize in partnership with Hillsborough County, the Hillsborough County Library System, Bright House, T-Mobile, We-Vue, Harmon STEM School, and Kahwa Coffee to help host on March 30, at Seminole Heights Library in Tampa. The event, held in celebration of Women’s History Month, will include:
- Tech Meet and Greet
- Tech Expo
- Pecha Kucha-Style Presentations
- Break Out Sessions include:
- Learn to Code!
- Tech Careers Speed Networking
- Interactive Panel
It provides the perfect opportunity to reframe the conversation about women in tech, at an event put together by women of Hillsborough County, for women of Hillsborough County. If you’d like to be part of the conversation, join us by reserving your seat today and share your voice and vision for women in Hillsborough County. 