Skip to Main Content

Careers for STEM Majors: Women in STEM

This guide has been created to help you identify career opportunities with a STEM degree.

National Center for Education Statistics

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 58% of the bachelor's degrees awarded in 2015 - 2016 went to women.  In STEM fields, women received just 36% of the bachelor's degrees awarded. 

STEM degrees awarded by gender and ethnicity

Articles and Reports about Women in STEM

Chen, Yu, et al. "Recruiting and Retaining Women in Information Technology Programs."  New Directions for Community Colleges, vol. 2017, no. 178, Summer 2017, pp. 79-90.

Gonser, Sarah. "Jobs in Cybersecurity Are Exploding: Why Are Women Locked Out?" Tech Directions, vol. 78, no. 7, 2019, pp. 24-26.

Keune, Anna, et al. "Recognition in Makerspaces: Supporting Opportunities for Women to "Make" a STEM Career." Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 99, Oct. 2019,

     pp. 368-80.

McNeely, Connie L., and Kaye H. Fealing. "Moving the Needle, Raising Consciousness: The Science and Practice of Broadening Participation."  American Behavioral

     Scientist, vol. 62, no. 5, May 2018, pp. 551-62.

Pew Research Center. "Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds over Workplace Equity." 2018.

Schuster, Carolin. "Not Feeling Good in STEM: Effects of Stereotype Activation and Anticipated Affect on Women's Career Aspirations."  Sex Roles, vol. 76, no. 1-2,

     Jan. 2017, pp. 40-55. 

Shein, Esther.  "Broadening the Path for Women in STEM."  Communications of the ACM, vol. 61, no. 8, Aug. 2018, pp. 19-21.

Verdesca, Dena. "Supporting Women in STEM."  American Scientist, vol. 107, no. 3, May 2019, p. 191.

Wynn, Alison T., and Shelley J. Correll. "Puncturing the Pipeline: Do Technology Companies Alienate Women in Recruiting Sessions?" Social Studies of Science, vol. 48, no. 1,

     Feb. 2018, pp. 149-64.

Web Sites

Association for Women in Science (AWIS)

Association for Women in Science - Career Center

Best Colleges. "Where Do Women Study STEM?"  2019.  (Includes information on salaries)

Best Colleges. "Women in STEM." 2019.

Perry, Mark J. (American Enterprise Institute). "'Gender Gap in STEM?' Women Are Majority of STEM Grad Students and They Earn a Majority of STEM Bachelor's Degrees."

     26, November 2018.  (Note: This study includes degrees in health and medical sciences, usually excluded in studies of STEM degrees/occupations.)

STEM for Her

Staff LADR