Promising Practices for Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine Opening Doors (2020) / Chapter Skim
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1 An Introduction to the Problem of Gender Inequities in U.S. STEMM Fields
1 An Introduction to the Problem of Gender Inequities in U.S. STEMM Fields
Pages 21-36
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From page 21... ...
. In theory, this underrepresentation of women in senior leadership roles should diminish organically over time, as the number of women earning degrees and enterng the workforce increases, but past patterns indicate that time alone may be i insufficient to close existing gaps.
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STEMM fields for the past 50 years merit attention because such gaps exact both explicit and opportunity costs for the nation's scientific enterprise. Multiple components of STEMM fields demonstrably benefit from gender diversity.
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From page 23... ...
problem-solving teams produce more influential scientific papers than do singlegender teams, and more diverse teams generate more innovative solutions to problems (Díaz-García et al., 2012; Page, 2019; Smith-Doerr et al., 2017)
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From page 24... ...
The underrepresentation of women in STEMM shares many features with underrepresentation of other groups in STEMM, including men of color, LGBTQIA individuals, persons with disabilities, first-generation college students, and the socioeconomically challenged, in that the current culture and structure of STEMM systemically disadvantage members of these groups relative to White and AsianAmerican males (Cuddy et al., 2007; Dixon and Rosenbaum, 2004; Dovidio et al., 1986; Fazio et al., 1995; Fiske, 2010; Fiske et al., 2002; Gaertner and McLaughlin, 1983; Kay and Jost, 2003; NSF, 2018)
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From page 25... ...
. Similarly, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, sustained institutional support for a range of interventions developed through the National Science BOX 1-1 Success Stories in Computer Science and Engineering Below are some examples of institutions that had great success in graduating women in fields where they are traditionally underrepresented by taking into ac count the context and needs of their institutions: • Harvey Mudd College graduated more than 50 percent women computer science majors in their 2018 class by redesigning their introductory class, a move driven by campus feedback.
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From page 26... ...
. Success stories at research intensive universities such as Carnegie Melon, Harvey Mudd, and University of Michigan offer valuable lessons learned; however, it is important to acknowledge that the vast majority of students in the United States, including women students, are post-traditional4 students pursuing education at other kinds of institutions.
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From page 27... ...
. Therefore, community colleges are a critical pathway to advance women, particularly
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From page 28... ...
. The Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement Community College Program was established in 1993 and serves students at 36 community colleges in California with a focus on increasing the number of educationally disadvantaged community college students in STEMM.
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From page 29... ...
Through this program, students receive hands-on experience by working closely with professors on real-world projects, using major research equip ment, and publishing in journals. In addition, Dillard University Women in STEM High School Experience in Summer is a summer program for high school women of color who are interested in physics and optics, the goal of which is to increase the number of African American women in STEM fields (Dillard University, 2019)
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From page 30... ...
It focuses on 13 key components: Recruitment Tutoring Financial Aid Summer Research Internships Summer Bridge Program Mentors Emphasis on research-based Ph.D.s Faculty Involvement Study Groups Administrative Involvement and Strong Student Community Public Support Personal Advising and Counseling Family Involvement To date, 312 Myerhoff Scholars have earned Ph.D.s, 59 have joint M.D./Ph.D.s, 141 have been awarded M.D.s, and 40 now hold tenured or tenure-track positions. An additional 265 students have received a master's degree in a STEMM field, and 258 more are now enrolled in graduate or professional schools (UMBC, 2019)
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From page 31... ...
This review has also allowed us to define knowledge gaps, particularly with respect to identifying specific practices that can improve the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women of color and women of other intersecting identities. A persistent pattern that is widely recognized is that interventions designed to increase the representation of women in STEMM disproportionately benefit White women over women of color (Ong et al., 2011)
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From page 32... ...
. The MD Anderson Cancer Center Leaders' Sponsorship Program, established in 2016, is a 6-month sponsorship initiative designed to develop a diverse group of associate professors and professors who seek leadership positions at the center.
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From page 33... ...
An ad hoc committee will undertake the following activities: • comparative examination of research on why women are more under A represented in some STEMM disciplines than others, with a particular focus on computer science, engineering, physics, mathematics, medicine, chemistry, and biology. • review, analysis, and synthesis of existing research on the policies, A practices, programs, and other interventions for improving the recruitment, retention, and sustained advancement into leadership roles of women in these disciplines and at different stages in career trajectories.
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From page 34... ...
In its review of the research, the committee describes unique distinctions among STEMM disciplines that create different barriers and challenges for women in STEMM. However, the research literature on promising and effective practices in different STEMM disciplines is not extensive enough to demonstrate which specific interventions work in certain disciplines and which do not.
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From page 35... ...
computer science, engineering) the majority of STEMM professionals work in industry settings -- settings with very poor representation of White women and extremely low numbers of women of color.
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