{"id":4062,"date":"2021-11-10T23:57:20","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T04:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=4062"},"modified":"2023-01-27T16:17:58","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T21:17:58","slug":"empowering-diverse-students-in-stem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2021\/11\/empowering-diverse-students-in-stem\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowering Diverse Students in STEM"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In the field of education, the push for sending students into STEM fields has become more prominent now more than ever. Schools encourage “women in STEM” through offering extracurricular activities and advanced math and science courses. There is a real need for more diversity in people pursuing careers in computer science, engineering, and healthcare. But why is the field lacking diversity? And what can be done?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take a closer look into the current state of diversity in STEM and how we must approach this as teachers in order to implement real change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where We Are NOW<\/strong> –<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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There is no doubt that in the past 25 years, women have been more represented in the STEM workforce. However, women are still very much underrepresented in some STEM job clusters.<\/strong> As seen in the graphic to the left from PEW Research Center, while women dominate 3\/4 of health-related fields, such as careers as dental hygienists, nurses, and speech language pathologists, women are strongly underrepresented in engineering and computer jobs. Since 1990, women have made significant gains in some STEM occupations, specifically as life and physical scientists (13% and 17%), while growth in women’s representation in engineering has been less significant (2% in 10 years).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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On the other hand, when you look at the research for minorities in STEM careers, you will find that Hispanics and blacks are underrepresented and Asians and white are overrepresented. <\/strong>Similarly to women, the STEM workforce has increasingly become more racially and ethnically diverse over the past 25 years. However, it is evident in the Pew Research Center analysis to the right that these fields are still very much white-dominated, relative to their share in the total workforce.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Another important minority that is underrepresented in STEM is the LGBTQ+ community. According to a 2020 Vanderbilt study, men in same-sex couples are 12% less likely to have a STEM related bachelor’s degree compared to men in different-sex couple. While there is not a lot of data available on LGBTQ representation in STEM fields, campaigns such as the  500 Queer Scientists<\/a> and associations like the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals<\/a> are great resources for making improvements in their representation in diversity measurements in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, why is this the way it is?<\/strong> The STEM field clearly has a lot of work to do. Minorities, including BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+, are faced with more obstacles in entering the STEM field, as well as once they are in it. Some examples of these are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n