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THE FUTURE

Many people believe the future of STEM is female. A news report on PR Newswire
supports the theory that when women are given equal opportunities and training in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics-related fields, they thrive just as
much if not more than their male counterparts. The number of women in STEM varies
by sector. According to a study published by the University of California at San Diego
women held 42% of Physical and Life Sciences jobs in 2018.

Figure 4

44% 42%

26% 27%
26%
23%

16%
13%

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2018

Computers & Math Engineering & Surveying Management Physical & Life Sciences

As shown in figure 4 above, for women, the largest STEM field is Computers and Math,
accounting for 51% of all the STEM workforce, nearly 5.7 million jobs. Women’s share
of these jobs decreased from 44% in 1990 to 27% in 2018. Even though the raw number
of women in these STEM jobs has increased by 532,445, the female share has
decreased because women are not entering new Computers and Math jobs at
the same rate as men. The second largest STEM field is Engineering and Surveying.
This sector has the lowest representation of women—only 16% in 2018 (526,459 of 3.2
million jobs). However, between 2016 and 2018, there has been a 2% increase in the
number of jobs held by women in Engineering and Surveying. Indeed, the number of
women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-based careers
are significantly lower than men, even as STEM is a growing occupational option.

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