User:SaM1821/Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

Gender gaps in STEM
Although women make up 47% of the workforce in the U.S., they hold only 24% of STEM jobs. Research suggests that exposing girls to female inventors at a young age has the potential to reduce the gender gap in technical STEM fields by half. Campaigns from organizations like the National Inventors Hall of Fame aimed to achieve a 50/50 gender balance in their youth STEM programs by 2020.

Women
Women constitute 47% of the U.S. workforce, and perform 24% of STEM-related jobs. In the UK women perform 13% of STEM-related jobs (2014). In the U.S. women with STEM degrees are more likely to work in education or healthcare rather than STEM fields compared with their male counterparts.

The gender ratio depends on field of study. For example, in the European Union in 2012 women made up 47.3% of the total, 51% of the social sciences, business and law, 42% of the science, mathematics and computing, 28% of engineering, manufacturing and construction, and 59% of PhD graduates in Health and Welfare.

In a study from 2019 it was shown that part of the success of women in STEM depends on the way women in STEM are viewed. In a study that researched grants given based primarily on project versus primarily based on the project lead there was almost no difference in the evaluation between projects from men or women when evaluated on project, but those evaluated mainly on the project leader showed that projects headed by women were given grants four percent less often.

Improving the experiences of women in STEM is a major component of increasing the number of women in STEM. One part of this includes the need for role models and mentors who are women in STEM. Along with this, having good resources for information and networking opportunities can improve women's ability to flourish in STEM fields.

LGBTQ+
People identifying within the group LGBTQ+ have faced discrimination in STEM fields throughout history. Few were openly queer in STEM; however, a couple of well-known people are Alan Turing, the father of computer science, and Sara Josephine Baker, American physician and public-health leader.

Despite recent changes in attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people, discrimination still permeates throughout STEM fields. A recent study has shown that gay men are less likely to have completed a bachelor's degree in a STEM field and to work in a STEM occupation. Along with this, those of sexual minorities overall have been shown to be less likely to remain in STEM majors throughout college. Another study concluded that queer people are more likely to experience exclusion, harassment and other negative impacts while in a STEM career while also having fewer opportunities and resources available to them.

Multiple programs and institutions are working towards increasing the inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in STEM. In the US, the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP) has organized people to address homophobia since the 1980s and now promotes activism and support for queer scientists. Other programs, including 500 Queer Scientists and Pride in STEM, function as visibility campaigns for LGBTQ+ people in STEM worldwide.