In the United States, women make up half of the college-educated workforce of 58.9 million workers but represent 30 percent of the professionals in science and engineering jobs. Black and Hispanic women each makeup only two percent and Indigenous women only one percent.
On International Women in Engineering Day, a multi-sector coalition composed of organizations dedicated to creating opportunities for young girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), founded #GirlsLeadSTEM and declared October 2022 as the inaugural #GirlsLeadSTEM month.
The founding coalition is composed of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, Intel Corporation, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, National Girls Collaborative Project, STEM Next Opportunity Fund and Techbridge Girls.
“In creating #GirlsLeadSTEM, this coalition will utilize their dedication and expertise to make great strides in closing the STEM gender gap through their individual community efforts. Our goal is to collectively support and champion the next generation of STEM leaders who are representative of the diverse country we live in.”
Leading up to October and throughout the month, #GirlsLeadSTEM will share the stories, advice, and challenges faced by girls who represent communities from across the nation; enable more girls to “see themselves” and inspire them to pursue STEM education and careers; engage girls to share, from their perspective, what’s needed to ensure persistence in STEM; and mobilize the corporate, entertainment, nonprofit and public sectors to support their needs by committing to impactful STEM initiatives focused on closing the gender gap in STEM.
