Women in STEM
“If we’re going to out-innovate and out-educate the rest of the world, we’ve got to open doors for everyone. We need all hands on deck, and that means clearing hurdles for women and girls as they navigate careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.”
-- First Lady Michelle Obama, September 26, 2011
The development of world-class talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is critical to America’s global leadership. The Obama Administration understands that fostering an open and diverse scientific community that draws from an array of unique experiences and viewpoints is a necessary step to realizing this goal.
Supporting women STEM students and researchers is not only an essential part of America’s strategy to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world; it is also important to women themselves. Women in STEM jobs earn 33 percent more than those in non-STEM occupations and experience a smaller wage gap relative to men. And STEM careers offer women the opportunity to engage in some of the most exciting realms of discovery and technological innovation. Increasing opportunities for women in these fields is an important step towards realizing greater economic success and equality for women across the board.
The Office of Science and Technology Policy, in collaboration with the White House Council on Women and Girls, is dedicated to increasing the participation of women and girls—as well as other underrepresented groups—in the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics by increasing the engagement of girls with STEM subjects in formal and informal environments, encouraging mentoring to support women throughout their academic and professional experiences, and supporting efforts to retain women in the STEM workforce.
Factsheets & Reports:
- Fact sheet: Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) (pdf)
- Fact sheet: The Equal Futures Partnership—From Promise To Progress
- Fact Sheet: The Equal Futures Partnership & US Commitments to Expand Women's Polictical & Economic Participation
- Department of Education Analysis of Girls in Education (pdf)
- Obama Administration Celebrates Title IX at 40
- Girls in STEM event - April 24, 2012 (pdf)
- Keeping America's Women Moving Forward (pdf)
- Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation (August 2011, Department of Commerce) (pdf)
Recent News:
- April 25, 2013: Today’s Girls are Tomorrow’s Leaders
- April 23, 2013: White House Announces Girl emPower as Equal Futures Challenge Notable App
- March 1, 2013: Creating What You Can Imagine, Changing the World
- February 1, 2013: Working Towards a Tech Sector that Reflects America
- January 29, 2013: Celebrating Mentoring Month with Science and Engineering
- January 14, 2013: First Ever White House Code-a-thon for apps to inspire girls and young women to become leaders
- December 18, 2012: One Decade, One Million More STEM Graduates (STEM Cross Agency Priority Goal)
- November 27, 2012: White House Announces Judges for Equal Futures App Challenge
- October 10, 2012: Equal Futures: Opening Doors to High-Quality Education and Career Opportunities for Women and Girls in STEM
- October 4, 2012: Office Hours on Equal Futures: Empowering Women and Girls at Home and Abroad
- October 4, 2012: Launching the Equal Futures Partnership to Expand Women’s Political and Economic Participation
- June 21, 2012: 40th Anniversary of Title IX
- April 30, 2012: STEM Women All-Stars Hit the Road
- April 26, 2012: U.S. Department of Energy and the MIT Energy Initiative Announce a Women in Clean Energy Program for United States
- April 24, 2012: The Next Generation of Girls in STEM
- April 11, 2012: Let's Keep Talking: Women in STEM Tweet Up
- March 13, 2012: Less Paperwork, More Research: Improving Federal Grant Policies
- March 5, 2012: Women Advance Science and Technology in the Middle East and North Africa
- March 1, 2012: Women’s History Month Proclamation
- February 15, 2012: Career-Life Balance Fair continues to promote flexible workplaces for America’s Scientists and Engineers
- February 10, 2012: Young Entrepreneurs at the White House Science Fair
- February 8, 2012: Don’t Mess with Texas…Science Students
- February 1, 2012: “Equal Pay App Challenge” to Help Close the Gender Pay Gap
- January 10, 2012: Recognizing Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring
- January 5, 2012: We Can't Wait to Help Young Americans Find Jobs (Summer Jobs+)
- November 21, 2011: Girls Scouting Science: A Roundtable Discussion
- September 30, 2011: STEM into the Future: A Roundtable Discussion with NASA’s Saralyn Mark
Video:
- September 24, 2012: Equal Futures Partnership Launch
- June 12, 2012: Title IX @ 40 Video
- April 24, 2012: Girls in STEM: A New Generation of Women and Science
- February 7, 2012: President Obama Speaks at White House Science Fair
- October 21, 2011: Advice for Young Women Interested in Science
- October 3, 2011: At the White House with the Google Global Science Fair Winners
- September 26, 2011: First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Science Foundation Family-Friendly Policy Rollout
- April 6, 2012: White House Forum on Women and the Economy
- December 9, 201: Champions of Change for Women and Girls in Science
- November 9, 2011: Remarks by the President at the National Women’s Law Center Annual Awards Dinner
- September 26, 2011: Remarks by the First Lady at the National Science Foundation Family-Friendly Policy Rollout
- September 26, 2011: NSF New Workplace Flexibility Policies to Support America’s Scientists and Their Families Press Release
- January 6, 2010: Remarks by the President on the "Educate to Innovate" Campaign and Science Teaching and Mentoring Awards
Resources:
College and Career Readiness
- Civil Rights Data Collection (Department of Education) – contains data on student access to calculus, chemistry, physics, and AP STEM courses by school and district, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender.
Engagement
- Women@Energy (US Department of Energy)
- Women@NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
- SISTER - Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
Mentoring
- Tech Women (U.S. Department of State)
- Women & Girls in STEM Mentoring Program (Department of Energy)
- Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (National Science Foundation)
- STEM Mentoring Toolkit (Corporation for National and Community Service)
Title IX Compliance
- Title IX and Access to Courses and Programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (PDF)
- NASA Promising Practices for Title IX & STEM guide (PDF)
- NASA Guide for Conducting Self-Evaluations for Title IX & STEM (PDF)
- Department of Education Office of Civil Rights STEM resources
- NASA Mission:STEM
Workplace Flexibility
- Career-Life Balance Initiative (National Science Foundation)
- NIH Family-Friendly Policies (National Institutes of Health)