STEM Education

AAUW 2016–17 Career Development Grantee Ishah Dominguez works as a Spanish medical interpreter for a children’s hospital.

AAUW has a long history of opening doors for women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), from the classroom to Capitol Hill.

The STEM fields are rapidly becoming the most in-demand and lucrative in the world. Despite this demand, at almost every step of the STEM education path women and girls walk away. By middle school many girls are ambivalent toward these fields, and by the end of high school fewer girls than boys plan to pursue STEM studies in college. Women who do graduate with a STEM degree enter a workforce that is historically unfriendly to them. And from there stereotypes, gender bias, and the hostile climate of academic departments and workplaces continue to block women’s participation and advancement.

The road ahead is long, but already we’re seeing progress. Change is possible for women and girls through our proven resources, and we will continue to push for gender equity in STEM.