WASHINGTON – AAUW has won a two-year, $249,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch a major study of the causes and dynamics behind the low participation of women and girls in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. This is AAUW’s fourth grant from NSF.

Set for a 2010 release, the study has the potential to garner public support for policies to even out the disparities in the higher-paying, male-dominated STEM fields, in which women are woefully underrepresented.

“Our report will sound the alarm,” said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE. “As a nation, we can’t afford to take baby steps toward achieving parity, especially when we’re facing a shortage of professionals in the STEM fields. How can we stay competitive in the global economy when half of our population isn’t fully engaged in those areas?”

While progress has been made in many STEM fields, women remain far behind in critical areas, including computer science. High school girls represent only 17 percent of computer science Advanced Placement (AP) test takers.¹ College-educated women earn only 27 percent of bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and computer science.² AAUW’s new research report aims to help turn back this trend and ensure that girls and women are fully represented in these critical STEM fields.

The research on innate gender differences, the effects of stereotypes and bias, mentoring, and differences in performance on standardized tests are among the topics to be covered in the new report. Looking at the most important studies from the past 15 years, the AAUW report will connect common themes across the disciplines, explore the reasons behind the persistent gender inequity, and highlight key findings from the existing STEM research. Written with the general reader in mind, the report will include personal stories to illustrate the problem.

“The excellent work that has been done in this area too often does not reach the public because it is narrow in scope or too technical,” said Catherine Hill, Ph.D., lead investigator on the report. “This project has attracted a stellar panel of experts from the scientific and research community because they recognize the need for a reader-friendly compilation of research.”

AAUW research reports also are used to effect social change on Capitol Hill and across the nation.

AAUW has received three previous grants from the National Science Foundation on initiatives to remedy gender inequities in STEM fields. These grants include support for the National Girls Collaborative Project, which facilitates collaboration among organizations, institutions, and businesses committed to expanding the participation of girls and women in STEM; the research report Under the Microscope: A Decade of Gender Equity Projects in the Sciences; and the creation and distribution of the video Tech Savvy: Educating Girls in the New Computer Age.

“It is an honor for AAUW to receive these grants, which come with an accompanying responsibility that we take seriously,” Hallman said.

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AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. Since 1881, AAUW has been one of the nation's leading voices promoting education and equity for women and girls. It has a nationwide network of 100,000 members, 1,300 branches, and 500 college/university institutional partners. Since its founding 127 years ago, members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day-educational, social, economic, and political. AAUW's commitment to educational equity is reflected in its public policy advocacy, community programs, leadership development, conventions and conferences, national partnerships, and international connections.