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FOR RELEASE JANUARY 9, 2018
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BY _Cary Funk and Kim Parker_
## FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES:
Cary Funk, Director, Science and Society Research Kim Parker, Director, Social Trends Research Tom Caiazza, Communications Manager
202.419.4372
www.pewresearch.org
## RECOMMENDED CITATION
Pew Research Center, January 2018. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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## About Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. It studies U.S. politics and policy; journalism and media; internet, science and technology; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and trends; and U.S. social and demographic trends. All of the Center’s reports are available at www.pewresearch.org. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.
© Pew Research Center 2018
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## Terminology
The data in this report come from two sources: 1) a Pew Research Center analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses as well as aggregated 2014-2016 American Community Survey data and 2) a nationally representative survey of 4,914 U.S. adults, ages 18 and older, conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. The survey, which was conducted online in English and Spanish through GfK’s Knowledge Panel, included an oversample of employed adults working in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) jobs.
Analysis of the survey data compares those working in STEM jobs with those in non-STEM jobs based on self-identified occupation. STEM jobs include: computer and mathematical jobs, architecture and engineering, life sciences, physical sciences, healthcare practitioners and technicians, and teachers at the K-12 or postsecondary level with a specialty in teaching science, technology, engineering or math subjects.
A similar definition is used to identify the STEM workforce in the U.S. Census Bureau data based on the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification. However, no educators are included as having STEM jobs in that data because the dataset does not allow identification of educators with a subject matter expertise in STEM subjects.
References to the STEM workforce are based on those employed in a job classified as being in science, technology, engineering or math.
Some analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau data compares those with a college degree who majored in STEM and those who majored in other fields. A STEM major includes the following areas: computers, mathematics and statistics, biological, agricultural and environmental sciences, physical and earth sciences, engineering, architecture, health-related fields, such as nursing, and STEM education, like science or math teacher education. Some analysis of the survey data is based on those with a postgraduate degree in a STEM field, using the same definition as above.
References to whites, blacks and Asians include only those who are non-Hispanic and identify themselves as only one race. Hispanics are of any race.
Asians working in STEM jobs are based on those who self-identify as Asian or Asian American and work in occupations classified as STEM. There are too few Asians working in non-STEM jobs in the survey for separate analysis. Note that the survey was conducted in English and Spanish only; thus only Asians proficient in English/Spanish are likely to have completed the survey. For more
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on the characteristics of the Asian population in the U.S. see the Center’s fact sheets on Asian Americans.
References to college graduates or people with a college degree comprise those with a bachelor’s degree or more, unless otherwise noted. “Some college” includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree. “High school or less” refers to those who have a high school diploma or its equivalent, such as a General Education Development (GED) certificate, or less education. References to those with advanced degrees and postgraduate degrees are used interchangeably; these terms refer to people who have a master’s degree or higher.
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## Table of Contents
|Table of Contents||
|---|---|
|About Pew Research Center|2|
|Terminology|3|
|Table of Contents|5|
|Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity|6|
|1. Diversity in the STEM workforce varies widely across jobs|24|
|2. Most Americans believe STEM jobs pay better, but few see them as offering more flexibility|for|
|family time|46|
|3. Women in STEM see more gender disparities at work, especially those in computer jobs,||
|majority-male workplaces|55|
|4. Blacks in STEM jobs are especially concerned about diversity and discrimination in the||
|workplace|71|
|5. Most Americans evaluate STEM education as middling compared with other developed nations||
||85|
|6. Many Americans say they liked math and science in school, thought about a STEM career|91|
|Acknowledgments|100|
|Methodology|102|
|Appendix: Detailed tables and charts|106|
|Survey questionnaire and topline|124|
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## Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity
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For women working in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) jobs, the workplace is a different, sometimes more hostile environment than the one their male coworkers experience. Discrimination and sexual harassment are seen as more frequent, and gender is perceived as more of an impediment than an advantage to career success. Three groups of women in STEM jobs stand out as more likely to see workplace inequities: women employed in STEM settings where men outnumber women, women working in computer jobs (only some of whom work in the technology industry), and women in STEM who hold postgraduate degrees. Indeed, a majority of each of these groups of STEM women have experienced gender discrimination at work, according to a nationally representative Pew Research Center survey with an oversample of people working in STEM jobs.
These findings come amid heightened public debate about underrepresentation and treatment of women – as well as racial and ethnic minorities – in the fast-growing technology industry and decades of concern about how best to promote diversity and inclusion in the STEM workforce. Conducted in the summer of 2017, prior to the recent outcry about sexual harassment by men in
## Most women in STEM jobs in majority-male workplaces, in computer jobs or with postgraduate degrees say they have experienced discrimination at work
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say the following_
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**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
They have ever experienced Their gender has made it Sexual harassment is a<br>gender discrimination at work harder to succeed at work problem in their workplace<br>Men in STEM 19% 7% 28%<br>Women in STEM 50 20 36<br>Among women in STEM jobs ...<br>With postgraduate degree 62 35 39<br>In computer jobs 74 31 42<br>In mostly male workplaces 78 48 48<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Experience of gender-related discrimination based on combined responses to eight items. Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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positions of public prominence, the Center’s new survey findings also speak to the broader issues facing women in the workplace across occupations and industries.[1]
Compared with those in non-STEM jobs, women in STEM are more likely to say they have experienced discrimination in the workplace (50% vs. 41%). But in other respects, the challenges women in STEM face in the workplace echo those of all working women. Women in STEM and non-STEM jobs are equally likely to say they have experienced sexual harassment at work, and both groups of women are less inclined than men to think that women are “usually treated fairly” when it comes to promotions where they work.
Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data since 1990 shows that while jobs in STEM have grown substantially, particularly in computer occupations, the share of women working in STEM jobs has remained at about half over time. But the share of women varies widely across the 74 standard occupations classified as STEM in this study – from under one-in-ten for sales engineers (7%) and mechanical engineers (8%) to 96% of speech language pathologists and 95% of dental hygienists. Women are a majority of those working in health-related occupations but just 14%, on average, of those
## Representation of women in STEM jobs varies widely
_Share of women in each of the following job clusters_
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Sales Speech language<br>engineers Average pathologists<br>Job cluster: 7% 50% 96%<br>All STEM jobs<br>75<br>Health-related jobs<br>47<br>Life science jobs<br>46<br>Math jobs<br>39<br>Physical science jobs<br>25<br>Computer jobs<br>14<br>Engineering jobs<br>0 20 40 60 80 100<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Based on employed adults ages 25 and older. Each circle represents a single occupation (e.g., mechanical engineer, registered nurse). Engineering includes architects. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS). “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
## PEW RESEARCH CENTER
> 1 These findings come on the heels of at least four decades of research about how to better foster diversity in the STEM workforce in the U.S. and globally. See Malcom, Shirley Mahaley, Paula Quick Hall, and Janet Welsh Brown. 1976. “The Double Bind: The Price of Being a Minority Woman in Science.” American Association for the Advancement of Science.; Association for Women in Science. 2016. “Broadening ’ Participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.” Open Science.; UNESCO. 2017. “Cracking the code: Girls and women s education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).”; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). 2017. “Chapter 7: The under-representation of women in STEM fields.” “The Pursuit of Gender Equality: An uphill battle.” OECD Publishing.; National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. 2017. “Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering.”
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in engineering jobs. In computer occupations, a job cluster which includes computer scientists, systems analysts, software developers, information systems managers and programmers – the STEM job cluster that has seen the most growth in recent decades – women’s representation has actually decreased from 32% in 1990 to 25% today.
Blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in STEM occupations relative to their share in the U.S. workforce. The share of blacks working in STEM jobs has gone from 7% in 1990 to 9% today (blacks make up 11% of the total U.S. workforce today). And that for Hispanics has gone up from 4% to 7%, while their share of the U.S. workforce has grown from 7% in 1990 to 16% today.
The survey finds a higher share of blacks in STEM jobs report experiencing any of eight types of racial/ethnic discrimination (62%) than do others in STEM positions (44% of Asians, 42% of Hispanics and just 13% of whites in STEM jobs say this). They also tend to do so more than Majority of blacks in STEM jobs have blacks in non-STEM jobs (50%), with many experienced discrimination at work saying they have been treated as if they were _% of those in science, technology, engineering and math_ not competent because of their race or _jobs who say they have experienced discrimination at work due to their race or ethnicity_ ethnicity.[2] Blacks in STEM jobs are particularly likely to say there is too little White 13% attention to racial and ethnic diversity where Black they work (57%). And, when it comes to the way opportunities for advancement and Hispanic 42 promotion are handled in their own Asian 44 workplace, 37% of blacks in STEM jobs believe Note: Experience of racial/ethnic-related discrimination based on that blacks are usually treated fairly, while a combined responses to eight items. Whites, blacks and Asians are similar share (36%) says this sometimes non-Hispanic only; Hispanics are of any race. Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. occurs and 24% believe that blacks are usually Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. treated unfairly where they work. Among “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity” PEW RESEARCH CENTER Hispanics, those in STEM and non-STEM jobs are equally likely to say they have experienced racial/ethnic workplace discrimination.
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say they have experienced discrimination at work due to their race or ethnicity_
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**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
White 13%<br>Black 62<br>Hispanic 42<br>Asian 44<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Experience of racial/ethnic-related discrimination based on combined responses to eight items. Whites, blacks and Asians are non-Hispanic only; Hispanics are of any race. Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
These are some of the findings from a Pew Research Center survey with a nationally representative sample of 4,914 adults (including 2,344 STEM workers), ages 18 and older, conducted July 11-Aug.
> 2 Differences in reported discrimination in the workplace due to race between blacks in STEM vs. non-STEM jobs should be interpreted with caution due to the smaller number of black respondents in the survey (320 in total). Taking into account the design effect for these subgroups, the difference of 62% of blacks in STEM vs. 50% of blacks in non-STEM jobs saying they have experienced racial discrimination at work – whether in their current or previous jobs – for a two-tailed test is p=.075.
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10, 2017 and a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. The survey, conducted online in English and in Spanish, included an oversample of employed adults working in science, technology, engineering and math fields. See Methodology for details.
## Most women in STEM jobs who work in majority-male workplaces, in computer jobs or who have a postgraduate degree have experienced gender discrimination at work
On average, women working in STEM jobs are more likely than men to say they have experienced workplace discrimination due to their gender. Half (50%) of women in STEM jobs say they have experienced any of eight forms of discrimination in the workplace because of their gender – more than women in non-STEM jobs (41%) and far more than men in STEM occupations (19%). The most common forms of gender discrimination experienced by women in STEM jobs include earning less than a man doing the same job (29%), having someone treat them as if they were not competent (29%), experiencing repeated, small slights in their workplace (20%) and receiving less support from senior leaders than a man who was doing the same job (18%).
## Half of women in STEM jobs say they have been discriminated against at work
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say they have ever experienced the following at work due to their gender_
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**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Women in|
|Men in|Women in|non-STEM|
|STEM jobs|STEM jobs|jobs|
|Ever experienced any of these|
|types of discrimination at work|19%|50%|41%|
|Earned less than a woman/|
|6|29|24|
|man doing the same job|
|Were treated as if they were|
|4|29|22|
|not competent|
|Experienced repeated, small|
|slights at work|4|20|16|
|Received less support from senior|
|leaders than a woman/man doing|9|18|15|
|same job|
|Felt isolated in their workplace|5|11|8|
|Been passed over for the most|
|4|9|10|
|important assignments|
|Been turned down for a job|4|7|7|
|Been denied a promotion|4|6|7|
|0|20|40|60|80|100|
**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
## PEW RESEARCH CENTER
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_In workplaces where most employees are men, about half of women in STEM say their gender has been an impediment to success on the job_
Pioneering work from
## Women in STEM working in majority-male workplaces perceive more gender inequities
business school professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter in the late 1970s drew attention to how the structure of organizations – particularly the balance of minority and majority groups – can influence experiences in the workplace.
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs in each type of workplace who say the following_
|_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs in each type of_<br>_workplace who say the following_|_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs in each type of_<br>_workplace who say the following_|
|---|---|
|78%<br>44%<br>More women/<br>even gender mix<br>More<br>men<br>_Amongwomen in STEM jobs_<br>_in workplaces with ..._<br>They have ever experienced gender-<br>related discrimination at work<br>Men in<br>STEM<br>jobs<br>19%||
|27<br>21<br>They have ever experienced<br>sexual harassment at work<br>7||
|48<br>14<br>Their gender has made it<br>harder to succeed in their job<br>7||
|79<br>52<br>They feel the need to prove themselves<br>at work all/some of the time<br>60||
|Their workplace pays too little<br>attention to increasing gender<br>diversity|43<br>15<br>15|
|Sexual harassment is a problem in<br>their workplace|48<br>33<br>28|
|55<br>38<br>81<br>69<br>0<br>20<br>40<br>60<br>80<br>100<br>_Women are usually treated_<br>_fairly in their workplace in ..._<br>Opportunities for promotion and<br>advancement<br>The recruitment and hiring<br>process<br>82<br>78|55<br>38<br>81<br>69<br>82<br>78|
The majority of women in STEM positions work in majority-female workplaces (55%) or work with an even mix of both genders (25%). But the 19% of women in STEM who work in settings with mostly men stand out from others. Fully 78% of these women say they have experienced gender discrimination in the workplace – compared with 44% of STEM women in other settings.[3]
About half (48%) of women in STEM jobs who work with mostly men say their gender PEW RESEARCH CENTER has made it harder for them to succeed in their job, compared with just 14% of other women in STEM.
Note: Experience of gender-related discrimination based on combined responses to eight items. Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017.
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> 3 Figures for women working with mostly women and women working with an even mix of genders are combined here but shown separately later in the report. Both of these groups of women in STEM work primarily in health-related jobs. For more on the characteristics of women working in these settings see Appendix.
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One respondent explained it this way:
_“People automatically assume I am the secretary, or in a less technical role because I am female. This makes it difficult for me to build a technical network to get my work done. People will call on my male co-workers, but not call on me.”_ - White woman, technical consultant, 36
Gender balance in the workplace also tends to matter for women in non-STEM positions but those in STEM stand out especially when it comes to experiences with workplace discrimination, the feeling that they need to prove themselves in order to be respected by coworkers, and their belief that, overall, their gender has made it harder for them to succeed at work. By contrast, for male STEM workers, the gender balance in their workplace is largely unrelated to views about gender equity.[4]
There are similar differences, though less pronounced, among women in STEM jobs by their level of education. Women with a postgraduate degree who work in STEM jobs are more likely than other women in STEM to have experienced gender discrimination at work (62%, compared with 41% of women with some college or less education). Roughly a third (35%) of women in STEM with a postgraduate degree believe their gender has made it harder to succeed on the job, compared with just 10% of women in STEM with some college or less education. And, women in STEM with more education are more skeptical that women where they work are usually treated fairly when it comes to opportunities for promotion (52% of those with a postgraduate degree say women are usually treated fairly vs. 76% of women with some college or less working in a STEM job).
> 4 One exception: 32% of men working in STEM jobs with mostly women say they have experienced gender-related discrimination at work compared with 15% of men in mostly male workplaces and 16% of men in workplaces with an even gender distribution.
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_Roughly three-quarters of women in computer jobs say they have experienced gender-related workplace discrimination_
Some 74% of women in computer jobs, such as software development or data science, say they have experienced discrimination because of their gender, compared with 16% of men in these jobs.[5] (This group includes some who work in the tech industry and some who work in other sectors.)[6]
Women in computer jobs are less likely than men in such jobs to believe that women are “usually” given a fair shake where they work when it comes to opportunities for promotion and advancement (43% of women in computer jobs say this usually occurs, compared with 77% of men).
## Among those in computer jobs, women are much more likely than men to experience discrimination at work
_% of those in computer jobs who say the following_
|_% of those in computer jobs who say the following_|_% of those in computer jobs who say the following_|
|---|---|
|16%<br>74%<br>Women in<br>computer jobs<br>They have ever experienced gender-<br>related discrimination at work<br>Men in<br>computer jobs<br>Women-<br>men diff.<br>+58||
|7<br>30<br>They have ever experienced<br>sexual harassment at work<br>+23||
|6<br>31<br>Their gender has made it<br>harder to succeed in their job<br>+25||
|57<br>64<br>They feel the need to prove themselves<br>at work all/some of the time<br>+7||
|<br>Their workplace pays too little<br>attention to increasing gender<br>diversity|13<br>31<br>+18|
|Sexual harassment is a problem<br>in their workplace|30<br>42<br>+12|
|83<br>77<br>67<br>43<br>0<br>20<br>40<br>60<br>80<br>100<br>_Women are usually treated fairly_<br>_in their workplace in ..._<br>Opportunities for promotion and<br>advancement<br>The recruitment and hiring<br>process<br>-16<br>-34||
Note: Experience of gender-related discrimination based on combined responses to eight items. Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017.
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> 5 The survey includes 150 female computer workers. Taking into account the design effect of the survey, the margin of error is +/- 10.6 percentage points.
> 6 A separate Pew Research Center analysis found female computer workers are more likely than their male counterparts to believe that gender discrimination is a major problem in the tech industry.
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_About one-in-five women in STEM and non-STEM jobs say they have experienced sexual harassment at work_
In the Pew Research Center survey – conducted before the string of prominent sexual harassment allegations and public discussion of these issues on social media outlets and elsewhere – some 22% of working women in the U.S. say they have experienced sexual harassment at work, compared with 7% of working men. The share of women who say they have experienced sexual harassment at work is the same among those in STEM and non-STEM jobs.[7]
## More women than men say they have experienced sexual harassment at work
_% of employed adults who say …_
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Women in<br>Men in STEM jobs Women in STEM jobs non-STEM<br>jobs<br>They have ever 7%<br>experienced sexual 22%<br>22%<br>harassment at work<br>Sexual harassment is a problem ...<br>28<br>In their workplace 36<br>36<br>50<br>In their industry 47<br>55<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Big/small problem responses are combined. Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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Women working in STEM are
more likely than their male counterparts to regard sexual harassment as at least a small problem in their workplace (36% vs. 28%). As with experience with discrimination, women in STEM jobs who work in majority-male settings and women in computer jobs are particularly likely to say that sexual harassment is at least a small problem where they work. Nearly half (48%) of female STEM workers in majority-male workplaces say that sexual harassment is a problem where they work. About four-in-ten (42%) women in computer jobs consider workplace sexual harassment a problem where they work, compared with three-in-ten (30%) men in computer jobs.
Among those in non-STEM occupations, men and women are equally likely to consider sexual harassment a problem where they work.
> 7 A new analysis of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints from the Center for American Progress show that claims of sexual harassment have been filed by women (and some men) in a wide range of industries and occupational groups with somewhat larger shares coming from employees in food service, retail trade and manufacturing as well as healthcare and social assistance.
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## About six-in-ten blacks working in STEM say they have experienced workplace discrimination because of their race
## Concerns about the
underrepresentation of blacks and other racial minorities – and particularly women of color – in the STEM workforce have been ongoing for at least four decades.[8] The Pew Research Center survey finds that, today, black STEM workers are especially likely to say they have experienced discrimination at work because of their race or ethnicity; 62% of blacks in STEM say this, compared with 44% of Asians, 42% of Hispanics and just 13% of whites in STEM jobs.
Blacks in STEM jobs tend to report experiences of workplace discrimination due to race more than blacks in non-STEM jobs (62% vs. 50%).[9] Hispanics in STEM and non-STEM jobs are
## Most blacks in STEM have experienced discrimination; fewer blacks see fair treatment in hiring, promotions
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say the following_
|_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say the_<br>_following_|_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say the_<br>_following_|
|---|---|
|13%<br>62%<br>White<br>Hispanic<br>Asian<br>Black<br>They have ever experienced discrimination<br>at work due to their race/ethnicity<br>_Among those in STEM jobs who are ..._||
|5<br>Their race/ethnicity has made it<br>harder to succeed in their job|<br>40|
|<br>Their workplace pays too<br>little attention to increasing<br>racial/ethnic diversity|15<br>57|
|78<br>75<br>43<br>37<br>0<br>20<br>40<br>60<br>80<br>100<br>The recruitment and hiring process<br>Opportunities for promotion and<br>advancement<br>_Blacks are usually treated fairly in_<br>_their workplace in ..._||
Note: Experience of racial/ethnic discrimination based on combined responses to eight items. Whites, blacks and Asians are non-Hispanic only; Hispanics are of any race. Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017.
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equally likely to say they have experienced workplace discrimination because of their race or ethnicity (42% each).[10]
> 8 See Malcom, Shirley Mahaley, Paula Quick Hall, and Janet Welsh Brown. 1976. “The Double Bind: The Price of Being a Minority Woman in Science.” American Association for the Advancement of Science.
> 9 Differences in reported discrimination in the workplace due to race between blacks in STEM vs. non-STEM jobs should be interpreted with caution due to the smaller number of black respondents in the survey (320 in total). Taking into account the design effect for these subgroups, the difference of 62% of blacks in STEM vs. 50% of blacks in non-STEM jobs saying they have experienced racial discrimination at work – whether in their current or previous jobs – for a two-tailed test is p=.075.
> 10 There are not enough Asians working in non-STEM jobs in the survey sample for separate analysis.
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And, blacks working in STEM jobs are less convinced than white STEM workers that black employees where they work are treated fairly when it comes to hiring and promotions. In all, 43% of blacks in STEM jobs believe that blacks where they work are usually treated fairly during recruitment; 37% say this is the case during promotion and advancement opportunities. By contrast most white STEM workers believe that blacks are usually treated fairly in these processes where they work (78% say this about hiring, 75% about advancement processes).
Other Pew Research Center analyses found that black Americans with at least some college experience are more likely to say they have experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly across a range of experiences because of their race or ethnicity, compared with those without any college experience. (There are not enough blacks in STEM jobs in this survey for analysis by levels of education.)
While the majority of STEM workers believe their race or ethnicity has made no difference in their ability to succeed in their job, blacks (40%) and Asians (31%) in STEM jobs, followed by Hispanics (19%), are more likely than white STEM workers (5%) to say it has been harder to find success in their job because of their race or ethnicity.
STEM workers who believe their race or ethnicity has made it harder to succeed provide a number of explanations, including concerns about the hiring process, promotions and pay equity, and stereotypical beliefs among their coworkers. Some respondents put it this way:
_“People have preconceived ideas of what I am capable of doing.”_ - Black man, physical scientist, 39
_“This ‘other-ness’ exists intentionally or unintentionally between those of a minority and those of a majority from lacking of common cultural background. Relationships at work appear polite on surface but reluctant tendency in willing to share limited opportunities the same way, which I felt in a previous job where whites and males were overwhelmingly a majority.”_ - Asian woman, engineer, 56
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## The STEM workforce has grown, especially among computer occupations
Analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows that employment in STEM occupations has grown 79% since 1990 (from 9.7 million to 17.3 million) with the largest growth occurring in computer occupations (338% growth since 1990).
The share of women working in such jobs varies widely both within and across job types (or clusters). Women account for a majority of healthcare practitioners and technicians but are underrepresented in other jobs, particularly computer and engineering positions. While there has been significant progress for women in the life and physical sciences since 1990, the share of women has been roughly stable in other STEM occupational clusters and has gone down 7
## The share of women in life and physical sciences has gone up but it has gone down for computer jobs since 1990
_Share of women in each of the following science, technology, engineering and math occupations over time_
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14%<br>25%<br>75% 47% 46% 39%<br>PHYSICAL<br>HEALTH-RELATED LIFE SCIENCE MATH COMPUTER ENGINEERING<br>SCIENCE<br>75%<br>72%<br>47 46<br>43<br>39<br>34 32<br>25<br>22<br>12 14<br>'90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16<br>Note: Based on employed adults ages 25 and older. Engineering includes architects.<br>Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses and 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS).<br>“Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
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## percentage points in computer occupations.[11]
## Gains in women’s representation in STEM jobs have
## What’s a STEM job?
been concentrated among women holding advanced degrees, although women still tend to be underrepresented among such workers. Women are roughly four-in-ten (41%) of all STEM workers with a professional or doctoral degree such as an M.D., D.D.S., or Ph.D.
This analysis relies on a broad-based definition of the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce. STEM jobs are defined solely based on occupation and include: life sciences, physical and Earth sciences, engineering and architecture, computer and math occupations as well as health-related occupations including healthcare providers and technicians.
Black and Hispanic workers continue to be underrepresented in the STEM workforce. Blacks make up 11% of the U.S. workforce overall but represent 9% of STEM workers, while Hispanics comprise 16% of the U.S. workforce but only 7% of all STEM workers.
Educators specializing in STEM subjects could not be identified in the analysis of the American Community Survey, though they are included as holding STEM jobs in the analysis of the Pew Research Center survey.
Asians are overrepresented in the STEM workforce, relative to their overall share of the workforce, especially among college-educated workers: 17% of college-educated STEM workers are Asian, while 10% of all workers with a college degree are Asian.
While there is often considerable overlap across definitions, there is no commonly agreed definition of the STEM workforce. Thus, caution is warranted in any direct comparisons with other studies.
The representation of women, blacks and Hispanics in comparisons with other studies. STEM has implications for the average earnings of workers in these groups. STEM workers earn more, on average, than workers in non-STEM jobs, even when controlling for educational attainment.
One potential barrier for those wishing to enter the STEM workforce is the generally higher level of educational attainment required for many such positions. Among college-educated workers, one-in-three (33%) majored in a STEM field. But only about half (52%) of those with college
> 11 Estimates of women’s representation in STEM jobs vary widely. A 2013 Census Bureau report estimated that 26% of the STEM workforce is female as of 2011 using a definition that omits healthcare practitioners and technicians. Including healthcare practitioners and technicians as part of the STEM workforce has a substantial effect on such estimates because healthcare practitioner and technician jobs make up a large share of the workforce and because such jobs are mostly held by women. Analysis of the “science- and engineering-related” workforce in the National Science Foundation’s Science and Engineering Indicators 2016 include health-related professions but is limited to those holding at least a bachelor’s degree.
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training in a STEM field are currently employed in a STEM job.[12] The rest are working in other fields, with many benefiting from the financial bump in earnings that comes with a STEM degree.
The reasons why half of college-educated workers with STEM-related training turn to jobs elsewhere are likely complicated. Among college-educated workers, those who majored in a health professions field are more likely than those who majored in other STEM fields to be working in a job directly related to their degree. About seven-in-ten (69%) women who majored in a health professions field (such as nursing or pharmacy) are working in a healthrelated occupation, as are 61% of men who majored in health professions.
But among those who majored in computers or computer science, women are less likely than men to be working in a computer occupation (38% vs 53%). Similarly, women who majored in engineering during their undergraduate studies are less likely than men to be working in engineering jobs (24% vs. 30%). Thus, in two occupational areas with particularly low shares
## Fewer women than men who majored in computers work in computer jobs
_Among college-educated workers, % employed in job related to bachelor’s degree field_
||Men|Women|
|---|---|---|
|Health professions major<br>working in health-related job<br>Computer major working in<br>computers|61%<br>53|69%<br>38|
|Engineering major working in<br>engineering|30|24|
|Math major working in math|5|5|
|Life sciences major working in<br>life sciences|5|5|
|Physical sciences major<br>working in physical sciences|10|8|
Note: Based on employed adults ages 25 and older completing at least a bachelor’s degree. Life sciences degree includes those with a degree in an agricultural science major. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey.
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of women, retention of those who meet a key barrier for job entry appears to be lower for women than for men.
> 12 Estimates of how many STEM-trained workers are “retained” in a STEM occupation vary widely across studies. These estimates depend on the definition of STEM occupations as well as what constitutes a STEM major and whether the retention estimates are based on training in a specific field and having a directly related job, as discussed here, or is more broadly defined as working in any STEM job.
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Other notable findings include the following:
## **The public image of STEM jobs includes higher pay and an advantage in attracting young talent compared with other industry sectors**
In some ways, the public has a very positive view of STEM jobs, as they compare with jobs in other sectors. About seven-in-ten Americans (71%) see jobs in STEM as offering better compensation than jobs in other industries. And, a majority of Americans (58%) consider STEM jobs to attract more of the brightest, most qualified young people.
The public is closely divided over whether jobs in STEM make a more meaningful contribution to society or do so to about the same extent as other jobs (45% to 48%). But only a minority think of STEM jobs as being more focused on helping others (28%) than jobs in other industries.
## Most Americans see STEM jobs as offering higher pay, attracting top talent compared with other industries
_% of U.S. adults who say that, compared with jobs in other industries, jobs in science, technology, engineering and math …_
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Offer higher pay 71%<br>Attract more of brightest and<br>58<br>most qualified young people<br>Are more well-respected 53<br>Offer more advancement<br>50<br>opportunities<br>Are more difficult to get into 49<br>Make a more meaningful<br>45<br>contribution to society<br>Are more focused on<br>28<br>helping others<br>Have more flexibility to<br>18<br>balance work/family needs<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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About one-in-five Americans (18%) say STEM jobs have more flexibility to balance work and family needs than other jobs in other sectors, while about half (52%) say the flexibility in this regard is about the same as it is in other sectors and 28% say there is less flexibility in STEM jobs than there is elsewhere.
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## **Men and women working in STEM say flexibility to balance work and family needs is important to them**
Men and women in STEM jobs – and indeed those in non-STEM jobs as well – say that having the flexibility to balance their work and family obligations is an important factor to them in choosing a job. But men and women in STEM tend to diverge when it comes to other job characteristics. A somewhat higher share of men than women say that having higher pay and opportunities for promotion is important to them in choosing a job. Women in STEM jobs are more inclined to consider a job that focuses on helping others (59%) as important to them compared with men in STEM jobs (31%).[13]
## Men and women in STEM consider job flexibility important, women are more likely to want a job that helps others
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say when choosing a job, each of the following is personally important to them_
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Men-<br>Men in STEM jobs Women in STEM jobs<br>women<br>Characteristics men and women in STEM value about the same diff.<br>Having flexibility to 71%<br>NS<br>balance work/family 76%<br>Being in a workplace<br>48<br>that is welcoming for NS<br>53<br>people like them<br>Characteristics men in STEM value more than women in STEM<br>Having opportunities for 57<br>+11<br>promotion 46<br>59<br>Having a high-paying job +9<br>48<br>Characteristics women in STEM value more than men in STEM<br>Having a job that others 43<br>respect and value 50 -7<br>Making a meaningful 51<br>-9<br>contribution to society 60<br>Having a job focused on 31<br>-28<br>helping others 59<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. NS indicates difference is not statistically significant. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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> 13 About two-thirds (68%) of women in health-related jobs say that having a job that is focused on helping others is important to them. However, even excluding workers in health-related jobs, a higher share of women than men working in STEM say that this characteristic is important to them in choosing a job.
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## **Americans see a range of explanations for the underrepresentation of women, blacks and Hispanics in STEM jobs**
Many Americans attribute the limited diversity of the STEM workforce to a lack of encouragement for girls and blacks and Hispanics to pursue STEM from an early age; 39% of Americans consider this a major reason there are not more women in some STEM areas, and 41% say this is a major reason there are not more blacks and Hispanics in the STEM workforce.
In addition, 42% of Americans say limited access to quality education to prepare them for these fields is a major reason blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in the STEM workforce; this view is held by a majority of those working in STEM who are black (73%) and about half of Hispanics (53%), Asians (52%) and whites (50%) in STEM jobs.
## Perceived reasons more women, blacks and Hispanics are not working in STEM
_% of U.S. adults who say each of the following is a major reason why there are not more women or blacks and Hispanics working in science, technology, engineering and math jobs in this country_
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Major reason more women Major reason more blacks and<br>are not in STEM jobs Hispanics are not in STEM jobs<br>Face discrimination in Less likely to have access to<br>39% quality education to prepare 42%<br>recruitment, hiring, promotion<br>them for STEM fields<br>Not encouraged to pursue 39 Not encouraged to pursue 41<br>STEM from early age STEM from early age<br>More difficult to balance 33 Less likely to believe they 33<br>work/family in STEM jobs can succeed in STEM<br>More are being trained, Face discrimination in<br>27 31<br>but the process is slow recruitment, hiring, promotion<br>Lack of female role Lack of black and Hispanic<br>24 27<br> models in STEM role models in STEM<br>Less likely to believe they More are being trained,<br>23 22<br> can succeed in STEM but the process is slow<br>Just less interested in Just less interested in<br>18 22<br> STEM than men STEM than others<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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There are wide differences among STEM workers on the role of racial/ethnic discrimination in underrepresentation. Among blacks in STEM jobs, 72% say discrimination in recruitment, hiring and promotions is a major reason behind the underrepresentation of blacks and Hispanics in these jobs. By contrast, 27% of whites and 28% of Asians say this, while 43% of Hispanics think discrimination is a major reason behind the underrepresentation.
Similarly, there are wide differences between men and women working in STEM jobs on the role of gender discrimination. About half of women in STEM jobs (48%) say gender discrimination in recruitment, hiring and promotions is a major reason there are not more women in STEM jobs, compared with 29% of men in STEM jobs.
When women and those in racial and ethnic minority groups working in STEM were asked to say, in their own words, the best ways to attract more people like themselves to STEM, many emphasized the importance of quality schooling and an early start to encouraging people into the field with repeated support over time. A few examples:
_“You must introduce those fields early in the elementary school years. Then continue to build on that by establishing STEM clubs and activities. Provide information to parents about local/community STEM events for continued interests. Most of all, make sure that any STEM student has the rigorous preparation that will be needed to get them accepted into college and able to handle the nature of the college level classes.”_ - Black woman, nurse, 49
_“K-8 teaching needs to be designed to make these subjects more interesting and accessible to girls. Teachers need to be explicit about the need for more women in STEM jobs, and help girls feel that they have a reason to pursue these fields in spite of the somewhat intimidating gender breakdown of higher level classes.”_ - White woman, math teacher, 42
_“Providing opportunities such as putting upgraded computers and/or science labs in inner-city schools, libraries and community centers. Black men currently in the STEM industries must be visible to the younger generation in order to show the value of those skills and the career implications.”_ - Black man, systems engineer, 30
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## **Most Americans rate K-12 STEM education as average or worse compared with other developed nations, so, too, do those with an advanced degree in STEM**
Americans are generally critical of the quality of STEM education in the nation’s K-12 schools. A quarter of Americans (25%) consider K-12 STEM education in the U.S. to be at least above average compared with other developed countries, while 30% say the U.S. is below average in this regard, and 43% say it is average. Parents with children in public schools give similar ratings of the nation’s K-12 STEM education.
Americans tend to see higher education in STEM more favorably, by comparison, but there too, fewer than half consider undergraduate education (35%) or graduate education (38%) in STEM as at least above average compared with other nations.
People who, themselves, have a postgraduate degree in a STEM field give positive ratings to the quality of postsecondary education in the U.S., but just 13% of this group considers K-12 STEM education to be at least above average.
Nonetheless, as Americans look back on their own K-12 experiences, three-quarters (75%) report that they generally liked science classes. Science labs and hands-on learning experiences stand out as a key appeal among those who liked science classes. Some 46% of those who disliked science classes in their youth say a reason for their view is that these classes were hard, while another 36% of this group found it hard to see how science classes would be useful to them in the future.
## Most Americans see K-12 STEM education as average or below that of other developed nations
_% of U.S. adults or science, technology, engineering and math postgraduate degree holders who rate the U.S. as ___ when it comes to STEM education at each level_
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Best in the world/above avg. Average Below average<br>U.S. adults<br>K-12 public<br>25% 43% 30%<br>schools<br>Undergraduate 35 46 17<br>Graduate 38 43 17<br>STEM postgraduate degree holders<br>K-12 public<br>13 36 51<br>schools<br>Undergraduate 52 35 13<br>Graduate 62 28 9<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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## 1. Diversity in the STEM workforce varies widely across jobs
As the U.S. has transformed rapidly to an information-based economy, employment in science, technology, engineering and math occupations has grown – outpacing overall job growth. Since 1990, STEM employment has grown 79% (9.7 million to 17.3 million) and computer jobs have seen a whopping 338% increase over the same period.
Using a broad definition of the STEM workforce, women make up half (50%) of all U.S. workers in STEM occupations, though their presence varies widely across occupational clusters and educational levels. Women account for the majority of healthcare practitioners and technicians but are underrepresented in several other STEM occupational clusters, particularly in computer jobs and engineering.
While there has been significant progress for women in the life and physical sciences since 1990, the share of women has been roughly stable in other STEM occupational clusters and has actually gone down 7 percentage points in the area with the largest job growth over this period: computer occupations, a job cluster that includes computer scientists, systems analysts, software developers, information systems managers and programmers.
Gains in women’s representation in STEM jobs have been concentrated among women holding advanced degrees, although women still tend to be underrepresented among such workers.
Black and Hispanic workers continue to be underrepresented in the STEM workforce. Blacks make up 11% of the U.S. workforce overall but represent 9% of STEM workers, while Hispanics comprise 16% of the U.S. workforce but only 7% of all STEM workers. And among employed adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, blacks are just 7% and Hispanics are 6% of the STEM workforce.
Asians are overrepresented in the STEM workforce, relative to their overall share of the workforce, especially among college-educated workers: 17% of college-educated STEM workers are Asian, compared with 10% of all workers with a college degree.
The representation of women, blacks and Hispanics holds pocketbook implications for workers. STEM jobs have relatively high earnings compared with many non-STEM jobs, and the earnings gap persists even after controlling for educational attainment. Among workers with similar education, STEM workers earn significantly more, on average, than non-STEM workers.
In spite of the earnings advantage that STEM workers have over non-STEM workers, the gender wage gap is wider in STEM occupations than in non-STEM jobs. This is partially because women
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are clustered in lower-paying STEM jobs in the health care industry and underrepresented in the more lucrative fields of engineering and computer science. The pattern is similar for blacks and Hispanics, who also tend to be concentrated in less lucrative STEM jobs, widening the measured earnings disparity.
One potential barrier for those wishing to enter the STEM workforce is the generally higher level of educational attainment required for such positions. Among college-educated workers, one-inthree (33%) majored in a STEM field. But only about half (52%) of those with college training in a STEM field are currently employed in a STEM job.
The reasons about half of college-educated workers with STEM-related training turn to jobs elsewhere are likely complicated. Some may have found their skills and training to be applicable to and rewarded in a non-STEM occupation (such as banking or finance). But for others, there may be barriers to entry into STEM jobs in addition to obtaining a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field.
Even so, among college-educated workers, women who majored in computer science or related computer fields are less likely than men trained in those fields to be working in computer jobs. Similarly, women who majored in engineering are less likely than men to be working in engineering jobs. Thus, in two occupational clusters with particularly low shares of women, retention of those who appear to meet a key requirement for job entry appears to be lower for women than for men.
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## Defining STEM workers with a wide-angle lens
This analysis uses a broad definition of the STEM workforce and is based solely on occupation, as classified in the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. As defined, here, the STEM workforce includes 74 occupations including computer and mathematical occupations, engineers and architects, physical scientists, life scientists, and health-related jobs such as healthcare practitioners and technicians (but not health care support workers such as nursing aides and medical assistants). As such, it includes workers with associate degrees and other credentials as well as those with bachelor’s and advanced degrees.
There is no standard definition of STEM workers. Other analyses of STEM workers include somewhat different occupations (see, for example, the Economics and Statistics Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce). The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics focuses on those with a college degree or more education in their surveys; UNESCO studies on global diversity issues in STEM focus even more narrowly on researchers with advanced degrees working in STEM.
Including healthcare practitioners and technicians as STEM occupations has broad ramifications for the key findings. There are 9.0 million health-related jobs, comprising 52% of the STEM workforce. Healthcare practitioners and technicians are largely women, thus their inclusion boosts the overall representation of women in the STEM workforce. These health-related occupations also have somewhat larger shares of black workers and smaller shares of Asian workers compared with other STEM occupations, which affects the racial and ethnic composition of the overall STEM workforce. Among college-educated workers who majored in a STEM field during their undergraduate education, those who majored in health professions are significantly more likely to work in a STEM occupation, so their inclusion increases figures on the retention of STEM-trained workers.
Social scientists are not included as a STEM occupation in this study, although other studies sometimes classify social sciences as a STEM job. As a practical matter, doing so makes little difference in the overall portrait of the STEM workforce because less than 1% of the workforce (about 280,000 workers in 2016) are classified as social scientists based on the Standard Occupational Classification system. See the sidebar on page 33 for more on the characteristics of social scientists in the workforce.
The Census data used do not identify the subject matter expertise for postsecondary teachers, therefore, these workers are not included in the STEM workforce. As a practical matter, this omission does not appear to change the overall portrait of STEM workers, as others estimate that only 1% of those who majored in a STEM field are in academic jobs in colleges and universities. See the Appendix for characteristics of those in postsecondary teaching occupations.
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## Over 17 million workers are employed in STEM occupations
_Employed adults ages 25 and older, in millions_
As of 2016, 17.3 million workers ages 25 and older were employed in STEM occupations, comprising 13% of the 131.3 million total U.S. workforce. About half of STEM workers (52%, 9.0 million) are employed as health care practitioners and technicians, a group that includes nurses, physicians and surgeons, as well as medical and health services managers. The next largest STEM occupational clusters are computer workers (25%, 4.4 million employed) and engineers and architects (16%, 2.7 million employed).
|All employed|131.3|
|---|---|
|STEM employed|17.3|
|Healthcare practitioners/technicians|9.0|
|Computer workers|4.4|
|Engineers/architects<br>Physical scientists|2.7<br>0.6|
|Life scientists|0.3|
|Mathematical workers|0.2|
|Non-STEM employed|114.0|
Note: Figures do not add to totals indicated due to rounding. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS).
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Growth of employment in STEM has markedly outpaced the growth of overall employment. Since 1990 STEM employment has grown 79% (from 9.7 million to 17.3 million), whereas overall employment grew only 34%. Some STEM occupations have grown more than others. Driven by the proliferation of information technology industries and the growth of the health care sector, computer workers have more than quadrupled since 1990 (a 338% increase) and healthcare practitioners and technicians have nearly doubled (a 92% increase). Employment of engineers and architects has grown only 16%, while employment of physical scientists has fallen by 46% from the 1990 level (from 1.1 million in 1990 to 0.6 million today) and math jobs have fallen by 24%.[14]
## Employment in computer jobs has more than quadrupled since 1990
_% change in employment, 1990 to 2014-16_
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All occupations 34%<br>STEM occupations 79<br>Among those who work in ___ occupations<br>Computer 338<br>Health-related 92<br>Life science 70<br>Engineering 16<br>Math -24<br>Physical science -46<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Based on employed adults ages 25 and older. Engineering includes architects. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 1990 decennial census and 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS). “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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> 14 These figures are based on comparisons of the total number of employed adults holding these occupations over time. Some studies estimate job growth based on occupational requirements for STEM knowledge collected by the Occupation Information Network (O*NET) or estimate labor shortages based on job openings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects continued growth of jobs in almost all STEM occupations.
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STEM workers tend to have relatively high levels of education compared with other workers. Overall, they are about twice as likely as those in non-STEM occupations to have earned at least a bachelor’s degree (65% vs. 32%). Roughly three-in-ten STEM workers (29%) have earned a master’s, doctorate or professional degree, far exceeding the share of non-STEM workers with advanced degrees (12%). Some 36% of STEM workers have a bachelor’s degree (but no postgraduate degree) compared with 21% of non-STEM workers. Among STEM workers, life scientists are the most highly educated on average; 54% of these workers have an advanced degree.
## About three-in-ten STEM
workers report having completed an associate degree (15%) or some college with no degree (14%). These workers are more prevalent among healthcare practitioners and technicians, computer workers and engineers. See the sidebar on page 99 for survey findings on “middleskills” workers with an associate degree or some college education.[15]
## About three-in-ten STEM workers have a postgraduate degree
_Educational attainment of employed adults ages 25 and older (%)_
|High school or less|High school or less|Some|college|||Bachelor's degree|Bachelor's degree|Postgrad degree|Postgrad degree|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|STEM employed|7%||28%||||36%||29%|
|Non-STEM<br>employed<br>||||37|||31|21|<br>12|
Note: Figures may not add to 100% due to rounding. Some college includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree. Postgrad degree includes those who have completed a master’s, professional or doctoral degree. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS). “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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> 15 Also see, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. 2017. “Building America’s Skilled Technical Workforce.”
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Most STEM workers work for a private, for-profit employer. The share – 66% – is substantively identical to the share of all employed adults.[16] Engineers and architects (82%) and computer workers (77%) are among the most likely to work for a private employer. Fewer healthcare practitioners and technicians work in the private, for-profit sector (58%); almost a quarter of these workers (23%) work for a not-for-profit employer.
STEM workers are much less likely to be self-employed than other workers – 6% of STEM workers are self-employed compared with 11% of nonSTEM workers. (Workers in social science occupations and postsecondary education jobs,
## Like other workers, two-thirds of STEM workers are in a for-profit business
_% of employed adults ages 25 and older by each type of workplace_
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Private, for-profit Not-for-profit Government Self-employed/other<br>All employed 66% 8% 15% 11%<br>STEM jobs 66 15 13 6<br>Non-STEM jobs 66 7 15 11<br>Among those who work in ___ jobs<br>Engineering 82 2 11 5<br>Computer 77 7 12 5<br>Physical science 59 11 26 3<br>Health-related 58 23 11 7<br>Math 50 9 39 2<br>Life science 49 18 30 3<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Figures may not add to 100% due to rounding. Engineering includes architects. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS). “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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by contrast, are more likely to work in government and non-profit organizations.)[17] See Appendix for details.
> 16 There is a small, statistically significant difference between these groups with 66.5% of those in STEM jobs working in private industry compared with 65.9% of those in non-STEM jobs.
> 17 - The National Science Foundation’s Science and Engineering Indicators 2016 (chapter 3, appendix table 3 5) also finds that the private industry is by far the largest employer of the college-educated workforce of scientists and engineers. However, those with Ph.D.’s in a science and engineering field (including the social sciences) are most likely to be employed in four-year educational institutions (42%) and private industries (34%), followed by government (9%).
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Although women have made gains in representation in the STEM workforce over the past roughly 25 years, particularly in life and physical science jobs, they remain strongly underrepresented in some STEM job clusters, notably computer jobs and engineering.
Racial and ethnic diversity in STEM is also varied. Black and Hispanic workers remain underrepresented overall; these groups are also underrepresented among those in STEM jobs with professional or doctoral degrees.[18]
Asians are overrepresented across all STEM occupational clusters and have an especially large presence in the college-educated STEM workforce, particularly in computer occupations, relative to their share among employed college graduates overall.
## Women overrepresented in healthcare professions, underrepresented in engineering and computer science
Women comprise 47% of all employed adults today, up modestly from 45% in 1990, and they make up half (50%) of all employed adults in STEM jobs in the U.S. The share of women in STEM overall is driven in large part by women’s overrepresentation in healthrelated jobs, the largest STEM occupational cluster. Three-quarters (75%) of healthcare practitioners and technicians are women.
## Women’s representation in computer jobs has declined since 1990
_Share of employed in each occupational group who are women (%)_
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75%<br>72%<br>46%<br>43%<br>Health-related Math<br>'90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
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47<br>39<br>34<br>22<br>Life science Physical science<br>'90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
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32<br>25<br>12 14<br>Computer Engineering<br>'90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16<br>Note: Based on employed adults ages 25 and older. Engineering<br>includes architects.<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses and 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS). “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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> 18 Blacks and Hispanics are also underrepresented in non-STEM jobs with professional or doctoral degrees.
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Women’s representation in STEM occupations varies substantially by occupational subgroup. Engineering occupations have the lowest share of women at 14%. Computer occupations follow, with women comprising a quarter of workers (25%) in these fields. Women are underrepresented among physical scientists (39%), but their representation among life scientists (47%) and math workers (46%) roughly equals women’s overall share in the workforce (47%).
Since 1990 women have made large gains in some STEM occupations, but in others growth has been far slower or has even reversed. In fact, the share of women has decreased in one of the highest-paying and fastest-growing STEM clusters – computer occupations. In 2016, 25% of workers in these occupations were women, down from 32% in 1990. At the same time, growth in women’s representation in engineering has been incremental at best, increasing only slightly from 12% in 1990 and 2000 to 14% today. Women’s shares among life and physical scientists, however, climbed markedly over this period (13 and 17 percentage points, respectively).
Women’s representation among the collegeeducated STEM workforce depends, in part, on women completing college training in STEM fields. Among college-educated workers, the share of women earning a STEM degree varies widely and generally corresponds with the share of women in these occupational clusters. Among all collegeeducated workers who majored in a health professions field, 81% are female. But just 16% of college-educated workers who majored in engineering are women.
Within occupational subgroups, there is often broad variation among occupations in their share of women. The report’s Appendix presents the share of women and total number of workers in specific STEM occupations. Mechanical engineering and electrical engineering have some of the lowest shares of women of any engineering occupation, or any STEM occupation (8% and 9%, respectively). By comparison,
## Women’s representation in STEM jobs varies by education
_% of employed adults ages 25 and older who are women by highest level of education_
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Among those employed in All<br>STEM jobs employed<br>High school 55% 41%<br>or less<br>Some college 59 50<br>Bachelor's 47 49<br>degree<br>Master's degree 47 54<br>Professional/<br>41 42<br>doctoral degree<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Some college includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree. Professional degree includes those with an M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., LL.B. or J.D. Doctoral degree includes those with a Ph.D. or Ed.D. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS).
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environmental engineering, architecture and industrial engineering have somewhat larger shares of women (29%, 26% and 21%, respectively).
Similarly, levels of women’s representation vary enormously among health-related occupations. About nine-in-ten nurses (89%) and virtually all dental hygienists (95%) are women.[19] Women’s representation among the ranks of physicians and surgeons is up from 20% in 1990 and 26% in 2000, coinciding with women’s increases in medical school enrollment and graduation over this period. But, just 36% of physicians and surgeons today and 30% of dentists are women despite notable gains over time.
For their part, men who work in STEM occupations are concentrated in computer occupations followed by engineering and health-related occupations. Among male STEM workers, 38% work in computer jobs and 27% each work in engineering/architecture and health-related jobs. Women in STEM jobs are concentrated in health-related occupations; 77% of female STEM workers are employed as healthcare practitioners and technicians.
On average, women’s representation in STEM jobs is lower among those employed with advanced degrees. For example, among all STEM workers holding a professional or doctoral degree, about four-in-ten are women (41%), compared with about six-in-ten (59%) STEM workers holding an
## Biggest gains for women in STEM jobs among those with advanced degrees
_% of those employed in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who are women by highest level of education_
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High school or less Some college Bachelor's degree Master's degree Professional/<br>doctoral degree<br>59<br>56<br>55%<br>52% 47 47<br>43 41<br>37<br>27<br>'90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16 '90 '00 '10 '16<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Based on employed adults ages 25 and older. Some college includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree. Professional degree includes those with an M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., LL.B or J.D. Doctoral degree includes those with a Ph.D. or Ed.D.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses and 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS). “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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> 19 The figure for nurses combines registered, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses.
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associate degree or with some college experience but no degree.
This pattern generally holds within occupational clusters as well. Among healthcare practitioners and technicians with a master's degree or less, roughly eight-in-ten are women. By contrast, among healthrelated workers with a professional or doctoral degree, 45% are women. See Appendix for details by occupation.
At the same time, the biggest growth in women’s representation since 1990 has been among STEM workers with advanced degrees, doctoral degrees in particular; this aligns with women’s broader gains in educational attainment during this period. The share of women among doctoral or professional degree holders in the overall STEM workforce has climbed from 27% in 1990 to 41% today. The share of women among STEM workers with a bachelor’s degree (but no advanced degree) has ticked up from 43% in 1990 to 47%, on par with the overall share of women in the workforce (47%).
## Social sciences are a popular college major but comprise a small occupational group
About 5.8 million (or 12%) of today’s college-educated workers majored in the social sciences. Psychology majors comprise the single largest group of those who majored in a social science field (35%). The next most popular social science majors are political science (19%) and economics (16%).
Very few workers (3%) who majored in the social sciences are employed as social scientists (based on the Standard Occupational Classification system). The majority work in the cluster of social services, legal and education (30%) or in management, business and finance occupations (26%). Another 12% of social science majors are employed in a STEM occupation.
Those in social science occupations are far more likely to be college-educated than workers in other occupational clusters: 97% of those in social science jobs have completed at least a bachelor’s degree, and 82% have finished an advanced degree (a third hold a doctoral degree). Of the roughly 280,000 workers employed as social scientists in 2016, 80% were white, 8% were Hispanic, 5% were black and 5% were Asian. Women currently make up 63% of social scientists, up from 54% in 2000 and 50% in 1990. Among collegeeducated workers who majored in the social sciences, 54% are women.
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## Hispanics and blacks are underrepresented, Asians and whites are overrepresented in most STEM occupations
The majority of STEM workers in the U.S. are white (69%), followed by Asians (13%), blacks (9%) and Hispanics (7%). Compared with their shares in the overall workforce whites and Asians are overrepresented; blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in the STEM workforce as a whole.
Over the past 25 years the STEM workforce has become more racially and ethnically diverse, echoing increasing diversity in the workforce during that period. In 1990, 83% of STEM workers were white, 6% were Asian, 7% were black and 4% were Hispanic.
Within occupational clusters, the share of workers who are black or Hispanic varies widely (see Appendix).[20] Health technician and nursing jobs have some of the largest shares of black or Hispanic workers. For example, 37% of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses are either black or Hispanic, as are a quarter or more of health support technicians (27%), medical records and health information technicians (25%), and
## Blacks and Hispanics underrepresented across most STEM job clusters
_% of employed in each occupational group who are …_
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White Asian Black Hispanic<br>All employed 65% 6% 11% 16%<br>STEM jobs 69 13 9 7<br>Among those who work in ___ jobs<br>Engineering 73 12 5 8<br>Health-related 70 9 11 8<br>Physical science 68 16 6 7<br>Math 68 14 9 6<br>Life science 67 19 4 7<br>Computer 65 19 7 7<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Based on employed adults ages 25 and older. Whites, blacks and Asians include only non-Hispanics. Hispanics are of any race. Other and mixed race non-Hispanics are not shown. Engineering includes architects. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS).
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clinical laboratory technologists and technicians (25%). Among registered nurses, 17% are black or Hispanic. By comparison, other health-related jobs have smaller shares of workers who are black or Hispanic including physicians and surgeons (11%), pharmacists (10%), dentists (9%), and physical therapists (9%). Just 5% of optometrists, veterinarians and chiropractors are black or Hispanic.
In the physical sciences, blacks and Hispanics together comprise 22% of chemical technicians but only 14% of chemists and materials scientists, 10% of atmospheric and space scientists, 7% of
> 20 These figures combine those in each occupation who are black or Hispanic due to smaller numbers of respondents in these occupations.
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environmental scientists and 6% of astronomers and physicists. Among mathematical workers, 19% of operations research analysts are black or Hispanic, compared with just 5% of actuaries.
Whites are overrepresented among STEM workers relative to their share in the total workforce. Asians (including both men and women) are also overrepresented among STEM workers compared with their share in the total workforce, particularly among STEM workers with a postgraduate degree. For details, see Appendix.
Asians are overrepresented across all STEM occupational groups with higher than average shares among computer workers and life scientists, accounting for 19% of workers in both of these fields, which is much higher than their share in the workforce overall (6%).
The share of Asians in STEM jobs varies substantially within occupational groups, however. For example, in engineering jobs the share of Asians ranges from 30% among computer hardware engineers to 2% among surveying and mapping technicians. Among healthcare practitioners and technicians, about one-in-five physicians and surgeons (21%) are Asian. But Asians comprise a far smaller share of veterinarians (3%) and emergency medical technicians and paramedics (2%).
About one-in-five (19%) STEM workers in the U.S. are foreign born, broadly similar to the share in the overall workforce (18%). The vast majority of the Asian STEM workforce is foreign born (82%) as is the Asian workforce overall in the U.S. (81%). Black STEM workers, however, are more likely to be foreign born than black workers overall (22% vs. 14%). Hispanics working in STEM jobs are far less likely than those in the workforce overall to be foreign born (32% of Hispanic STEM workers are foreign born, compared with 54% of all employed Hispanics ages 25 and older).
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The typical STEM worker earns significantly more, on average, than the typical worker in a nonSTEM occupation, and the earnings gap has
been widening since 1990. The wage gap between STEM and non-STEM workers persists even when controlling for educational attainment.
## The typical STEM worker now earns twothirds more than non-STEM workers
_Median annual earnings of full-time, year-round workers ages 25 and older, in 2016 dollars_
Among full-time, year-round workers ages 25 and older, median earnings for STEM occupations were $71,000 in 2016.[21] Comparable earnings for non-STEM workers were $43,000. Thus, STEM workers typically earn about two-thirds more than those in nonSTEM jobs.[22]
After adjusting for inflation, the typical earnings of STEM workers have increased since 1990, while earnings among non-STEM workers have been relatively flat.[23]
Earnings vary significantly among STEM workers. Computer workers, mathematical workers and engineers/architects have median earnings between $81,100 and $83,000. In
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$70,635 $71,000<br>STEM jobs<br>$63,126<br>Non-STEM jobs<br>$44,870 $46,129<br>$43,000<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
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1990 2000 2010 2016<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Based on adults ages 25 and older employed full-time yearround with positive earnings. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses and 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS). “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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contrast, full-time, year-round healthcare practitioners and technicians have the lowest median earnings at $61,000.
> 21 Following Census Bureau practice, the earnings of full-time, year-round workers with positive earnings are reported.
> 22 Using a narrower definition of the STEM workforce, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the mean wages of STEM workers were nearly double those of non-STEM workers.
> 23 The Economics and Statistics Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce estimated the STEM earnings premium controlling for other factors influencing wages and finds that the premium has increased since the mid-1990s.
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Even among workers with similar levels of education, STEM workers earn significantly more than non-STEM workers. For example, among
those with some college education (including those with an associate but not a bachelor’s degree), the typical full-time, year-round STEM worker earns $54,745. A similar nonSTEM worker earns $40,505, 26% less.
Women in STEM occupations tend to be paid less than men working in STEM. Median earnings for full-time, year-round women working in a STEM job were $60,828 in 2016 – 72% as much as the median earnings of men working in STEM occupations ($84,000). The earnings gap between women and men is larger in the STEM workforce than it is among non-STEM occupations. Among non-STEM workers, women’s median earnings are 79% of men’s earnings.
In spite of the larger gender pay disparity among STEM workers, women working in STEM tend to be paid significantly more than women working in non-STEM occupations overall. The median earnings for women working full-time, year-round in non-STEM occupations are only $38,480.
## STEM workers tend to earn more than similarly educated non-STEM workers
_Median annual earnings of full-time, year-round workers ages 25 and older with positive earnings_
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Among those who work in ...<br>STEM jobs Non-STEM jobs<br>High school or $45,569<br>less $33,000<br>$54,745<br>Some college<br>$40,505<br>Bachelor's $75,948<br>degree $55,695<br>Master's $91,137<br>degree $67,847<br>Professional/ $120,000<br>doctoral degree $91,242<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Figures based on 2016 dollars. Some college includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree. Professional degree includes those with an M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., LL.B or J.D. Doctoral degree includes those with a Ph.D. or Ed.D. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS).
“Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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The 72% gender earnings gap overall partly reflects that men and women in the STEM workforce tend to work in different occupational subgroups. Compared with women, a higher share of men in STEM jobs are in higher-paying computer or engineering/architecture jobs. Women are more likely than men to be in lower-paying healthcare practitioner and technician positions.[24]
Among full-time, year-round workers, the gender earnings gap varies across specific STEM occupational subgroups. For example, among computer workers, the typical woman earns 87% as much as the typical man. Among engineers and architects the gender earnings gap is 83%. However, the gender earnings gap among healthcare practitioners and technicians is 74%.[25]
The overall gender earnings gap in the STEM workforce has not changed over the past 25 years. In 1990 the median earnings of women in STEM was 72% of the median earnings of men in STEM.
The gender pay gap is widest for STEM workers with professional or doctoral degrees (women’s median annual pay is 73% of men’s) and those with high school or less education (66%).
## The gender earnings gap varies across STEM occupations and education
_Median annual earnings of women as a percent of men’s earnings_
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All employed 80%<br>STEM jobs 72<br>Non-STEM jobs 79<br>Among those who work in ___ jobs<br>Life science 94<br>Computer 87<br>Math 84<br>Engineering 83<br>Physical science 80<br>Health-related 74<br>Among those in STEM jobs whose highest degree is ...<br>High school or less 66<br>Some college 81<br>Bachelor's degree 78<br>Master's degree 79<br>Professional/ 73<br>doctoral degree<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Based on adults ages 25 and older employed full-time, yearround with positive earnings. Some college includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree. Professional degree includes those with an M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., LL.B. or J.D. Doctoral degree includes those with a Ph.D. or Ed.D. Engineering includes architects. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS).
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> 24 The overall 72% gender earnings gap includes workers of all education levels. Among college graduates in the STEM workforce who majored in STEM, the gender earnings gap is 75%. This is similar to the 72% gap reported in a 2017 study by Kahn and Ginther for the National Bureau of Economic Research.
> 25 The larger gender wage gap among healthcare practitioners and technicians largely reflects the fact that men are overrepresented in the highest-paying occupations in this cluster of jobs. For example, men account for 64% of physicians and surgeons and 70% of dentists.
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## Racial earnings gaps are substantial but narrow among similarly educated and trained STEM workers
The median earnings of blacks ($58,000) and Hispanics ($60,758) working in STEM occupations are less than those of whites ($71,897) and Asians ($90,000) in the STEM workforce. The black to white earnings gap among STEM workers, while substantial, is smaller than the racial earnings gap among the non-STEM workforce. The typical black STEM worker earns 81% as much as the typical white STEM worker; blacks in non-STEM occupations earn 73% as much as their white counterparts.[26]
Similarly, the earnings disparity between Hispanic and white STEM workers (85%) is narrower than among non-STEM workers (67%).
In the STEM workforce, the typical Asian is paid substantially more than their white counterparts (125%) although Asians working in non-STEM occupations tend be paid less
## Racial earnings gaps narrower in the STEM workforce than non-STEM workforce
_Median annual earnings of Asian, black and Hispanic workers as a percent of white’s_
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Among those who work in ...<br>STEM jobs Non-STEM jobs<br>125%<br>Asian<br>90%<br>81<br>Black<br>73<br>85<br>Hispanic<br>67<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Based on adults ages 25 and older employed full-time yearround with positive earnings. Whites, blacks and Asians include only non-Hispanics. Hispanics are of any race. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS).
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than whites (90%). As shown later in this chapter, this pay advantage narrows considerably once STEM-training is taken into account.
Across all of these racial and ethnic groups, women earn less than their male counterparts (see Appendix).
> 26 The earnings gap between black and white workers has remained about the same in magnitude to the current gap. In 1990 and 2000, the typical black STEM worker earned 80% as much as the typical white STEM worker.
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Among college-educated workers in STEM occupations, Asians are the most likely to have a STEM bachelor’s degree (83% do).[27] Smaller shares of college-educated Hispanics (72%), whites (72%) or blacks (69%) in STEM occupations majored in a STEM field.
STEM training narrows the earnings gap for blacks and Hispanics working in STEM occupations. Among college-educated workers who majored in and are in the STEM workforce, blacks earn 87% of whites and Hispanics earn 92% of whites. Collegeeducated Asians in STEM occupations who have been trained in STEM earn about 110% of similarly educated whites in STEM. These gaps are narrower than the simple earnings gaps presented earlier without regard to the education or training of the STEM workers.
## Roughly three-in-four college-educated STEM workers have a STEM degree
_% of those employed in science, technology, engineering and math jobs with a STEM college degree by race/ethnicity_
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STEM jobs 74%<br>White 72<br>Asian 83<br>Black 69<br>Hispanic 72<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Based on employed adults ages 25 and older completing a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field of study. Whites, blacks and Asians include only non-Hispanics. Hispanics are of any race. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS).
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## Black and Hispanic college-educated workers with a STEM degree earn less than whites; Asians earn more
_Median annual earnings of Asian, black and Hispanic science, technology, engineering and math workers with a STEM college degree as a percent of whites’_
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Asian 110%<br>Black 87<br>Hispanic 92<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Based on adults ages 25 and older employed full-time yearround with positive earnings completing a bachelor’s degree in a STEM major field of study. Whites and blacks and Asians include only non-Hispanics. Hispanics are of any race. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS).
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> 27 This analysis looks broadly at all those earning a bachelor’s degree in a STEM major field of study, regardless of whether the field is specifically linked with their current occupation.
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Among workers ages 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree, one-in-three (33%) has an undergraduate degree in a STEM major field of study.[28] The largest STEM-educated group is those who majored in engineering at 4.7 million workers. Some 3.9 million collegeeducated workers have health professions degrees, while 3.1 million have degrees in life or biological sciences. Fewer majored in computer science or related fields (1.8 million) or physical or earth sciences (1.7 million).
Not all of these STEM-trained workers are employed in a STEM occupation, however. In fact, only about half of them are (52%). The rest are working in other fields with many still benefitting from the financial bump that comes with a STEM degree.[29]
## 52% of STEM-trained college graduates are employed in the STEM workforce
_Among workers who majored in science, technology, engineering or math, % currently employed in each type of job_
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Management,<br>business,<br>finance<br>Social 17%<br>STEM<br>services, legal,<br>11%<br>education<br>52%<br>Other non-<br>STEM job<br>20%<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Based on employed adults ages 25 and older completing a bachelor’s degree in STEM major field of study. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS).
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> 28 Findings concerning field of degree presented in this chapter focus only on the college-educated workforce or workers who have completed at least a bachelor’s degree. The Census Bureau only collects information on the major field of study for those who completed at least a bachelor’s degree. The major field of study refers to the undergraduate degree. The field of study for master’s, professional and doctorate degrees is not collected. For respondents who hold a bachelor’s degree in more than one field, the Census Bureau data include both the first and second fields listed. We classify college majors as STEM if either the first or second field of study is computers, mathematics and statistics; engineering; biological, agricultural and environmental sciences; physical and earth sciences; or health-related. The National Science Foundation's Science and Engineering Indicators 2016, chapter 3, reports that about 75% of adults with at least one degree in a science and engineering field also have their highest degree in a science and engineering field. Also see the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System, which combines data from the Survey of Doctorate Recipients with the National Survey of College Graduates.
> 29 Estimates of how many of the STEM-trained workers are “retained” in a STEM job vary across studies because of different definitions of what constitutes STEM training and a STEM occupation as well as whether such calculations are looking for a specific match between training fields and jobs or a more general link between training and employment in a STEM field. See _Science and Engineering Indicators 2016_ , chapter 3, Figure 3-7. Also see Landivar, Liana Christin. 2013. “Disparities in STEM Employment by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: American Community Survey reports.” U.S. Census Bureau, Table 7.
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Retention rates vary among the STEM college majors. Workers who majored in a health professions field (for example, nursing or pharmacy) are the most likely to work in STEM jobs (70% do). In contrast, workers with degrees in mathematics and statistics are the least likely (31%) to be employed in a STEM occupation.
Across occupational categories – STEM and nonSTEM alike – STEM-trained workers earn more, on average, than those with a degree in a non-STEM field of study. Among college-
## STEM college majors tend to earn more than nonSTEM college majors
_Median annual earnings of full-time, year-round workers ages 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree_
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Among those with a ...<br>STEM college degree Non-STEM college degree<br>$81,011<br>All employed<br>$60,828<br>$87,187<br>STEM jobs<br>$75,948<br>$70,885<br>Non-STEM jobs<br>$60,000<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Based on adults ages 25 and older employed full-time year-round with positive earnings who have completed a bachelor’s degree. College degree refers to the major field of study of the bachelor’s degree. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS). “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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educated workers employed full-time and year-round, the median earnings for those who have a STEM college degree are $81,011, compared with $60,828 for other college degrees.
The earnings advantage for STEM training is apparent across all STEM job clusters, except for those in life science jobs.
The earnings advantage for those who majored in a STEM field extends to workers outside of STEM occupations. Among all non-STEM workers, those who have a STEM college degree earn, on average, about $71,000; workers with a non-STEM degree working outside of STEM earn roughly $11,000 less annually. The reasons behind this pay advantage are not wholly clear; in addition to the knowledge base and skills learned in a STEM degree, some have argued that the persistence and aptitudes needed to complete a STEM degree may be valued by employers outside the STEM workforce.
Among college graduates trained in STEM but employed in a non-STEM occupation, the most prevalent occupation is the management, business and finance cluster (17% of those with STEM training are employed in these fields). These jobs are particularly attractive to college graduates
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with engineering majors. Roughly a quarter (24%) of those who majored in engineering are in a management, business and finance occupation.
One factor that may be attracting STEM college majors to work outside of the STEM workforce is the high earnings potential of jobs in management, business and finance occupations. STEMtrained workers in computer occupations or working as engineers and architects are among the nation’s highest paid workers. The typical earnings are about $96,000. But the median earnings of a STEM-educated college graduate working in management, business and finance occupations are on par with that, about $97,000.[30]
On the flip side, roughly a quarter of college-educated workers in STEM jobs (26%) do not have a degree in a STEM field. Among college-educated engineers and architects, only 15% do not have a bachelor’s degree in STEM. Conversely, 52% of college-educated math workers do not have a college degree in a STEM field.[31]
> 30 The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce observes that the occupations that attract top STEM talent are also among the fastest-growing and highest paid in the economy.
> 31 The U.S. Census Bureau found 22% of college graduates employed in STEM occupations did not major in science or engineering.
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## Gender differences in college-level STEM training and retention in STEM occupations
Overall, among adults who majored in STEM, women are more likely than men to work in a STEM occupation (56% vs. 49%).[32] This difference is driven mainly by college graduates with a health professions degree, most of whom are women. About seven-in-ten (69%) women who majored in a health professions field are working in a health-related occupation, as are 61% of men who majored in a health professions field. (Of those who majored in a life sciences field, 30% of men and 33% of women work in a healthrelated occupation.)
Among college-educated workers with training in other STEM fields, however, men are often more likely than women to be working in jobs directly related to their major field of study. For example, 38% of women and
## Women with college degrees in computers and engineering are less likely than men to be working in those jobs
_Among those who received a college degree in each of the following science, technology, engineering or math fields, % who are currently employed in …_
Management, business, finance Social services, legal, education Other non-STEM field
|61%<br>69<br>53<br>38<br>30<br>24<br>5<br>5<br>5<br>5<br>10<br>8<br>5%<br>2<br>7<br>7<br>17<br>19<br>30<br>20<br>40<br>42<br>32<br>29|10<br>7<br>18|
|---|---|
||7<br>9<br>14|
|||
||16<br>6<br>18|
||21<br>11<br>23|
|||
||24<br>8<br>21|
||23<br>14<br>20|
|||
||23<br>22<br>20|
||25<br>32<br>19|
|||
||20<br>12<br>24|
||15<br>18<br>21|
|||
||21<br>15<br>22|
||18<br>22<br>22|
Note: Based on employed adults ages 25 and older completing a bachelor’s degree in a STEM major field of study. Life sciences degree includes those with a degree in an agricultural science major. Figures may not add to 100% due to rounding. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2014-2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS). “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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53% of men who majored in computers or computer science are employed in a computer occupation. Women with a college degree in engineering are less likely than men who majored in these fields to be working in an engineering job (24% vs. 30%). The differential retention rates of
> 32 The likelihood of STEM employment reflects both flows into and out of these occupations. Sharon Sassler, Jennifer Glass, Yael Levitte and Katherine M. Michelmore find there is no gender difference in transitioning into STEM jobs among those majoring in STEM fields; see “The missing women in STEM? Assessing gender differentials in the factors associated with transition to first job.” 2017. Social Science Research. Vol. 63: 192-208.
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women in computer and engineering occupations is in keeping with other studies showing a “leaky pipeline” for women in STEM. See Appendix for details.
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## 2. Most Americans believe STEM jobs pay better, but few see them as offering more flexibility for family time
Americans have mixed views of how careers in science, technology, engineering and math compare to jobs in other industries. About half or more of the general public – whether they are employed in STEM or non-STEM jobs – believe that STEM jobs pay better, attract more of the brightest young people and are more well-respected. But roughly half of Americans say these jobs are difficult to get into, while only 18% believe careers in STEM have more flexibility for balancing work and family than jobs in other industries.
That flexibility is an important factor in choosing a job for both men and women in STEM, as well as those working in other areas. For the most part, men and women in STEM look for similar job qualities; one notable exception is that 59% of women tend to value jobs that help others, compared with 31% of men.
Interviews with people working in STEM fields highlight the sometimes subtle ways that women feel they are treated differently at work.[33] The Pew Research Center survey finds overall, men and women in STEM see behaviors that help or hurt them to get ahead in the workplace somewhat differently. Men in STEM jobs see more advantage in working harder than others, being assertive, and being vocal about their accomplishments at work. Among women, those who work in majority-male settings are more likely than other women in STEM occupations to think these behaviors help them get ahead in their job. And, women in majority-male work settings are particularly likely to say they need to prove themselves at least some of the time at work in order to be respected by their coworkers.
## Majorities of Americans see jobs in STEM as better compensated or better at attracting young talent compared with other industry sectors
About seven-in-ten Americans (71%) believe that jobs in STEM have higher salaries than those in other fields. More broadly, though, Americans have mixed views of how careers in STEM stand up against other sectors. Some 58% of U.S. adults say that jobs in STEM attract more of “the brightest and most qualified young people.” And half of Americans (50%) say that careers in STEM “offer more opportunities for advancement,” a similar share (49%) believe that STEM jobs are more difficult to get into.
> 33 Williams, Joan C., Katherine W. Phillips and Erika V. Hall, 2014. “Double jeopardy? Gender bias against women of color in science.” University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Also see Leggon, Cheryl B., Troy Eller, and Lisa M. Frehill, 2011. “Women in Engineering: the Illusion of Inclusion.” Journal of the Society of Women Engineers, 60th anniversary edition, _5: 83-92._
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## While 45% of respondents
say that STEM positions offer an opportunity to “make a more meaningful contribution to society,” 28% say that STEM jobs are “more focused on helping others” than jobs in other industries. And, 18% say that STEM jobs offer more flexibility than non-STEM jobs to balance work and family needs. Some 52% of U.S. adults consider jobs in STEM to have roughly the same amount of flexibility as other jobs and 28% say STEM jobs have less flexibility to balance work and family needs than those in other industries.
Perceptions of STEM jobs are generally similar among U.S. adults working in STEM positions and those in other kinds of jobs. And, men and women working in STEM jobs tend to hold similar
## Most Americans believe STEM employment offers better pay than other industries
_% of U.S. adults who say that, compared with jobs in other industries, jobs in science, technology, engineering and math ..._
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Among those who work in a ... U.S.<br>STEM job Non-STEM job adults<br>74%<br>Offer higher pay 71%<br>73%<br>Attract more of the<br>67<br>brightest and most 58<br>qualified young people 60<br>61<br>Are more well-respected 53<br>54<br>Offer more advancement 52<br>50<br>opportunities 50<br>Are more difficult to 49<br>49<br>get into 51<br>Make a more<br>48<br>meaningful contribution 45<br>to society 44<br>Are more focused on 26<br>28<br>helping others 28<br>Have more flexibility for 22 18<br>work/family balance 17<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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perceptions of how such positions compare with other industries. Among the differences, men are more inclined than women to see jobs in STEM as having comparatively more flexibility to balance work and family needs (28% vs. 17%). See Appendix for details.
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## Most men and women in STEM jobs say flexibility to balance work and family is important to them in choosing a job
About seven-in-ten (68%) employed U.S. adults say that having the flexibility to balance their work and family obligations is an important factor in choosing a job. Indeed, some 38% ranked it as the most important, more than any other characteristic considered in the survey.
In all, 53% of employed adults say “having opportunities for promotion or advancement” is important to them, followed by “having a high-paying job” and “being in a workplace that is welcoming for people like me” (46% each).
Men (71%) and women (76%) in STEM careers largely agree that being able to balance work and family is important to them in choosing a job. However, their views are somewhat different on other priorities. For instance, 57% of male STEM workers say
## Men and women in STEM tend to look for similar job qualities, but more women value jobs that help others
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say each of the following is important to them personally when choosing a job_
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Men in STEM jobs Women in STEM jobs All<br>employed<br>71%<br>Having flexibility to 68%<br>balance work/family 76%<br>57<br>Having opportunities for<br>53<br>promotion/advancement 46<br>59<br>Having a high-paying job 46<br>48<br>Being in a workplace 48<br>welcoming for people 46<br>like them 53<br>Having a job that others 43<br>39<br>respect and value 50<br>51<br>Making a meaningful<br>38<br>contribution to society 60<br>31<br>Having a job focused on<br>35<br>helping others 59<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who did not consider each important or who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017.
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that having opportunities for promotion is important compared with 46% of female STEM workers. And, while around six-in-ten men (59%) say that having a high-paying job is important, about half (48%) of women say the same.
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The largest gap between men and women in STEM jobs emerges when they are asked about choosing a career that focuses on helping others: some 59% of female STEM workers say this is important to them, compared with 31 % of men.[34]
Women in STEM jobs share a priority on job flexibility to meet work and family needs with women employed in other sectors. See Appendix for details.
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Most people working in STEM jobs say working harder than others (67%), having a workplace mentor (66%) and being assertive (61%) help them get ahead at work.
Men who work in STEM jobs are modestly more likely than women in such jobs to see working harder than others (71% vs. 63%), being assertive at work (66% vs. 57%) or being vocal about their accomplishments as something that helps them get ahead (43% vs. 37%).
Most STEM workers say participating in social activities outside of work or talking about their personal lives with coworkers makes little difference to their chances of getting ahead. But, men in such jobs are somewhat more inclined than women to think socializing with coworkers helps their
## Women and men in STEM jobs see the behaviors that help them get ahead somewhat differently
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say each of the following helps, hurts or makes little difference to their chances of getting ahead in their job_
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Helps Makes little difference Hurts<br>Men in STEM jobs Women in STEM jobs<br>Working harder<br>71% 27 2 63% 33 3<br> than others<br>Having a workplace<br>67 31 2 65 32 2<br>mentor<br>Being assertive 66 27 7 57 31 12<br>Being vocal about their<br>43 41 15 37 51 11<br>work/accomplishments<br>Speaking out about<br>38 39 23 33 40 26<br>workplace problems<br>Participating in informal<br>33 63 4 25 71 4<br>activities with coworkers<br>Talking about their<br>11 64 25 4 64 32<br>personal life at work<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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> 34 About two-thirds (68%) of women in health-related jobs say that having a job that is focused on helping others is important to them. However, even excluding workers in health-related jobs, a higher share of women than men working in STEM say that this characteristic is important to them in choosing a job.
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prospects (33% vs. 25%). And, about a third (32%) of women in STEM jobs say talking about their personal life at work hurts their efforts to get ahead, compared with one-in-four (25%) men in STEM jobs who say the same.
Among those in non-STEM jobs, women and men tend to be in agreement about which behaviors are most likely to improve their chances of advancing in their positions – including the belief that they need to work harder than others (64% vs. 65%) and be assertive (both 59%). For details, see Appendix.
There are also differences by race and ethnicity on some of these measures. Notably, 47% of blacks employed in STEM say that talking about their personal life at work hurts their chances for advancement; smaller shares of white (27%) and Asian (24%) STEM workers say the same.
Asians in STEM jobs are particularly likely to see being vocal about their work and accomplishments as an advantage (57%), compared with white (35%) and Hispanic (42%) STEM workers.
## About half of blacks in STEM say talking about their personal lives hurts their chances for getting ahead
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say each of the following helps, hurts or makes little difference to their chances of getting ahead in their job_
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Being vocal about their work Talking about their<br>and accomplishments personal life at work<br>Makes little Makes little<br>Helps difference Hurts Helps difference Hurts<br>All employed 35% 52 13 8% 63 28<br>Among those in STEM jobs<br>White 35 52 13 6 66 27<br>Black 45 39 16 6 47 47<br>Hispanic 42 41 16 5 62 33<br>Asian 57 29 14 14 61 24<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Whites, blacks and Asians are non-Hispanic only; Hispanics are of any race. Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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A sizable share of all of these
racial and ethnic groups of STEM workers agree that working harder than others and having a workplace mentor generally helps their chances of getting ahead.
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_Men and women in STEM jobs are about equally likely to report feeling valued by their supervisor and coworkers_
Some qualitative reports of women and racial/ethnic minorities working in STEM positions have suggested that implicit bias in the workplace can leave such workers feeling less appreciated at work.[35] The Pew Research Center survey finds, however, few differences by gender or race/ethnicity in how much workers report feeling valued by their supervisor or their coworkers.
Overall, most workers – both STEM and nonSTEM – say their contributions are valued by their co-workers and by their supervisor at least some. Men and women in STEM jobs are about equally likely to say this.
When asked, “How often, if ever, do you feel the need to prove yourself at work in order to be respected by your coworkers?,” 17% of employed U.S. adults say “all the time,” another one-third (33%) say some of the time and four-in-ten (40%) say either never or not too often.
## How much do workers feel their contributions are valued at work …
_% of employed adults who say their contributions at work are valued ___ by each of the following_
|Their supervisor|A|lot|38%<br>Some|Not|too|37%<br>16%<br>much/not at all|37%<br>16%<br>much/not at all|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Their coworkers|||33|||41<br>16||
## … or feel the need to prove themselves in order to be respected at work?
_% of employed adults who say they feel the need to prove themselves at work ___ in order to be respected by their coworkers_
|All the time|Some of the time|Not too often/never|
|---|---|---|
|All employed|17<br>33|40|
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. Selfemployed respondents were not asked these questions; their share is not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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Women and men in STEM jobs are about equally likely to feel the need to prove themselves “all the time” (15% and 16%, respectively) in order to be respected by their coworkers. But, as will be discussed later in this chapter, the sense of having to prove oneself varies among women working in STEM jobs depending on the gender mix where they work.
> 35 See Williams, Joan C., Katherine W. Phillips and Erika V. Hall, 2014. “Double jeopardy? Gender bias against women of color in science.” University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
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Beliefs about the kinds of behaviors that help employees succeed at work tend to vary among female STEM workers, depending on the gender context where they work. There are some modest differences in beliefs about these issues among women in STEM jobs depending on their level of education as well.
The roughly one-in-five women (19%) in STEM jobs who work in majority-male workplaces stand out in how they assess the behaviors needed to get ahead. These women are particularly likely to say that being assertive (70%) helps their chances of getting ahead. Smaller shares of women working with mostly women or in evenly mixed gender settings think this helps their chances of advancement.
Similarly, 54% of women in STEM jobs with majoritymale workplaces say that being vocal about their work and accomplishments helps their chances of advancing, compared with 31% of women working in majorityfemale settings.
## Women in STEM jobs in majority-male workplaces see the behaviors needed to get ahead differently
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs in each type of workplace who say each of the following helps their chances of getting ahead in their job_
|_in their job_||
|---|---|
|Working harder than others|60%<br>73%<br>Men in<br>STEM<br>jobs<br>71%<br>More<br>women<br>More<br>men<br>Even mix<br>of genders<br>_Amongwomen in STEM jobs in_<br>_workplaces with ..._|
|Having a workplace mentor|61<br>71<br>67|
|Being assertive|56<br>70<br>66|
|Being vocal about their<br>work/accomplishments|31<br>54<br>43|
|Speaking out about<br>workplace problems|31<br>42<br>38|
|Participating in informal<br>activities with coworkers|18<br>35<br>33|
|3<br>4<br>0<br>20<br>40<br>60<br>80<br>100<br>Talking about their<br>personal life at work<br>11|4<br>11|
Note: Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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## _Women in majority-male workplaces are especially likely to feel the need to prove themselves in order to earn coworkers’ respect_
Although, overall, women in STEM jobs are just as likely as men in such jobs to say they feel highly valued by supervisors and coworkers, women working in majority-male environments also say they have to work harder to earn that appreciation compared with women in either majorityfemale or evenly-mixed gender settings.
When asked, “How often, if ever, do you feel the need to prove yourself at work in order to be respected by your coworkers?,” 79% of female STEM workers in majoritymale workplaces say “all the time” or “some of the time,” compared with 51% of women working in STEM jobs in mostly female workplaces and 54% among those in evenly mixed gender workplaces. There are only modest differences among men in STEM jobs by the gender makeup where they work; overall 56% of male STEM workers say they feel the need
## Women in STEM in majority-male workplaces feel the need to prove themselves more often to earn respect
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs in each type of workplace who say the following_
|Among women in STEM jobs in<br>workplaces with …<br>More men<br>Even mix<br>of genders<br>More<br>women<br>_Their contributions at work are_<br>_valued a lot by …_<br>Their supervisor<br>50%<br>37%<br>40%<br>Their coworkers<br>37<br>43<br>39<br>They feel the need to prove<br>themselves all/some of the time<br>to be respected by coworkers<br>79<br>54<br>51|Men in<br>STEM jobs<br>45%<br>40<br>56|
|---|---|
Note: Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Self-employed respondents were not asked these questions; their share is not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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to prove themselves at least some of the time to earn the respect of their coworkers. For details, see Appendix.
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Women in STEM jobs see the behaviors that help them advance somewhat differently depending on their level of education. Those with advanced degrees are more likely than women in STEM with some college or less education to say that having a workplace mentor to advise them helps. And some 44% of women in STEM with a postgraduate degree say that being vocal about their accomplishments at work helps them get ahead; in contrast 28% of women in STEM jobs with some college or less education say the same.
While this survey finds that men and women in computer jobs have had different experiences with gender discrimination (as shown in Chapter 3), there are no statistically significant differences between men and women working in computer occupations in their
## Women in STEM with advanced degrees are especially likely to say that having a mentor, being vocal about one’s accomplishments fosters success at work
_% of those in STEM jobs in each group who say each of the following helps their chances of getting ahead in their job_
|Having a workplace mentor|60%<br>70%<br>Men in<br>STEM<br>jobs<br>67%<br>Some college<br>or less<br>Postgrad<br>College<br>grad<br>Amongwomenin STEM jobs whose<br>highest level of education is ...|
|---|---|
|Working harder than others<br>Being assertive|58<br>53<br>67<br>61<br>71<br>66|
|Being vocal about their<br>work/accomplishments|28<br>44<br>43|
|Speaking out about<br>workplace problems|36<br>28<br>38|
|Participating in informal<br>activities with coworkers|19<br>31<br>33|
|4<br>4<br>0<br>20<br>40<br>60<br>80<br>100<br>Talking about their<br>personal life at work<br>11|4<br>4<br>11|
Note: Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017.
“Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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perceptions of behaviors that help or hurt their chances of success or in their sense that they need to prove themselves in order to be respected by their coworkers.
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## 3. Women in STEM see more gender disparities at work, especially those in computer jobs, majority-male workplaces
There are wide gaps between men and women working in science, technology, engineering and math jobs when it comes to perceptions of fair treatment for women at work and experiences of workplace discrimination.
Women in STEM jobs are much more likely than men in such jobs to say they have experienced discrimination at work because of their gender and to consider discrimination a major reason that more women are not working in STEM. While the majority of STEM workers say their gender has made no particular difference in their success, women in STEM jobs are more inclined than men to say their gender has made it harder for them to succeed at work. Those that feel this way raise a number of concerns including pay gaps and unequal treatment from their coworkers stemming from gender stereotypes.
Experiences with workplace discrimination and concerns about gender inequities are more pronounced among women working in computer positions; among those working in workplaces where men outnumber women; and among women with advanced degrees, more of whom presumably work in higher level, professional positions compared with other women in STEM jobs.
Although a higher share of women in STEM jobs say they have experienced at least one form of discrimination at work because of their gender, similar shares of women in STEM jobs and nonSTEM jobs say they have personally experienced sexual harassment. Women in STEM jobs also tend to share similar perspectives with working women in non-STEM jobs when it comes to the value of gender diversity and the amount of attention paid to gender diversity at work.
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## Most Americans value gender diversity at work; more than four-in-ten say diversity contributes to organizational success
Americans are largely supportive of gender diversity in the workplace, with about half of U.S. adults (52%) characterizing it is as “extremely” or “very” important and 26% saying it is “somewhat” important.
When asked to cite reasons for increasing gender diversity in the workplace, 46% of Americans say an important consideration is that gender diversity provides other perspectives that contribute to the overall success of companies and organizations. A similar share, 43%, cite giving people an equal opportunity to succeed as an important reason, while one-third (33%) say gender diversity makes good business sense because it increases the supply of potential workers.
## Most Americans say gender diversity at work is important
_% of U.S. adults who say it is ___ important to have gender diversity in workplaces today_
Extremely/very Somewhat Not too/not at all NET IMPORTANT: 78% 52% 26% 21%
_% of U.S. adults who say each of the following is an important reason to increase gender diversity in the workplace_
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Provides other perspectives<br>that contribute to 46%<br>organizational success<br>Gives people an equal<br>43<br>opportunity to succeed<br>Makes good business sense<br>because it increases supply 33<br>of potential workers<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. In bottom chart, respondents who gave other responses and those who did not give an answer are now shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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## Americans’ level of support for gender
diversity depends, in part, on their own gender. Whereas more than half of women in STEM jobs and non-STEM jobs alike believe that such diversity is highly important (61% and 56%, respectively), fewer men in STEM and non-STEM jobs say the same (49% and 43%, respectively).
Support for gender diversity also depends, in part, on levels of education. Those who hold advanced degrees, whether they work in STEM or non-STEM jobs, express more support for the importance of gender diversity, on average.
Around seven-in-ten (68%) employed adults believe their workplaces are giving sufficient attention to increasing gender diversity. Similar shares of women and men, in both STEM and non-STEM jobs, share that assessment.
## Women are more likely than men to see workplace gender diversity as important
_% of U.S. adults who say it is ___ important to have gender diversity in workplaces today_
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Extremely/very Somewhat Not too/not at all<br>U.S.<br>52% 26% 21%<br>adults<br>Among those in STEM jobs<br>Men 49 28 22<br>Women 61 28 11<br>Among those in non-STEM jobs<br>Men 43 32 23<br>Women 56 27 16<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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## Most workers are content with amount of attention to gender diversity
_% of employed adults who say their workplace pays ___ attention to increasing gender diversity_
But two-in-ten women in STEM jobs (20%) and 15% of men in such jobs say there is too little attention to diversity where they work.
Men in STEM jobs are about twice as likely to think there is too much attention given to gender diversity (13% vs. 5% of women in STEM jobs) in their workplace.
On this issue, workers in non-STEM positions look similar to those in STEM, with men more likely than women to say there is too much attention to gender diversity but majorities of both genders say attention is sufficient.
|||About||
|---|---|---|---|
||Too|the right|Too|
||little|amount|much|
|All employed|21%|68%|9%|
|_Among those in STEM jobs_||||
|Men|15|69|13|
|Women|20|72|5|
|_Among those in non-STEM jobs_||||
|Men|19|68|11|
|Women|23|68|6|
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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## About half of women in STEM consider discrimination a major factor behind women’s limited representation in STEM occupations
When asked to explain why there are not more women working in STEM jobs, a major reason, cited by around four-in-ten (44%) people in STEM jobs, is lack of encouragement for girls in these subjects from an early age. On this, men and women in STEM jobs tend to agree (43% of men and 45% of women in STEM jobs say this).
However, women in STEM jobs are far more likely than their male counterparts to cite discrimination in hiring and promotions as a major reason why there are not more women working in STEM (48% vs. 29%).
In addition, somewhat higher shares of female than male STEM workers cite the difficulty of balancing work and family in STEM jobs
## Women more likely to see discrimination in recruitment, hiring and promotions as a major reason behind lack of gender diversity in STEM
_% those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say each of the following is a_ _**major reason** why there are not more women working in STEM jobs_
|_STEM jobs_||
|---|---|
|Women face discrimination in<br>recruitment, hiring and promotions|48%<br>29%<br>Men in<br>STEM jobs<br>Women in<br>STEM jobs<br>Women-<br>men diff.<br>+19|
|Girls are not encouraged to pursue<br>STEM subjects from an early age|45<br>43<br>+2|
|More difficult to balance<br>work/family in STEM jobs|40<br>28<br>+12|
|Women are less likely than men to<br>believe they can succeed in STEM|32<br>23<br>+9|
|There are so few female role models<br>in STEM|30<br>22<br>+8|
|More women are being trained, but<br>it takes time and the process is slow|28<br>22<br>+6|
|15<br>24<br>0<br>20<br>40<br>60<br>80<br>100<br>Women are just less interested than<br>men in STEM<br>-9|15<br>24<br>-9|
Note: Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017.
“Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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(40% vs. 28%), lack of belief among women that they can succeed (32% vs. 23%), the shortage of female role models in STEM (30% vs. 22%) and the slowness of the training “pipeline” (28% vs. 22%) as major reasons why there are not more women working in STEM fields.
The one reason listed by larger shares of men than women is interest: about a quarter of men in STEM jobs (24%) say that a major reason there are not more women working in these positions is
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that women are less interested than men in STEM. Just 15% of women with STEM jobs say the same.
_Half of women working in STEM say they have experienced gender discrimination at work; about a fifth have personally encountered sexual harassment_
Half (50%) of women in STEM jobs say that they have experienced at least one of eight forms of gender-related discrimination in the workplace, more than women in non-STEM jobs (41%) and far more than men in STEM positions (19%).
The most common forms of gender discrimination reported by women in STEM jobs are earning less than a man doing the same job (29%), having someone treat them as if they are not competent because of their gender (29%), experiencing repeated, small slights in their workplace (20%), and receiving less support from senior leaders than a man who was doing the same job (18%).
## Women working in STEM are more likely to have experienced gender-related discrimination at work
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say each of the following has ever happened to them at work because of their gender_
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Men in Women in<br>STEM jobs STEM jobs<br>Experienced any of these types<br>19% 50%<br>of gender-related discrimination<br>Earned less than a<br>6 29<br> woman/man doing same job<br>Were treated as if<br>4 29<br>they were not competent<br>Experienced repeated,<br>4 20<br> small slights at work<br>Received less support<br>9 18<br> from senior leaders<br>Felt isolated in the workplace 5 11<br>Been passed over for most 4 9<br>important assignments<br>Been turned down for a job 4 7<br>Been denied a promotion 4 6<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who gave other responses or who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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Previous Pew Research Center surveys have found more women than men report experiencing gender discrimination. The share reporting these experiences tends to vary depending on whether or not the questions are focused on the workplace, per se, and whether they rely on a summary judgment of experienced discrimination or ask separately about specific types of discriminatory behaviors.
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When it comes to the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace, workers are more likely to judge harassment as a problem in their industry than in their own workplace.
Among all those working in a STEM job, 53% consider sexual harassment at least a small problem in their industry sector, compared with 32% who say the same about their own workplace.
Women in STEM jobs are more likely than their male counterparts to say sexual harassment is at least a small
## More women than men in STEM jobs see sexual harassment as a problem in their workplace
_% of those in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say sexual harassment is a big problem or a small problem …_
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In their workplace<br>Big Small<br>NET<br>problem problem<br>Men in STEM jobs 6% 22% 28%<br>Women in STEM jobs 8 28 36<br>In their industry<br>Men in STEM jobs 10 40 50<br>Women in STEM jobs 13 43 55<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who said not a problem or who did not give an answer are not shown. NET figures may not add to subtotals due to rounding. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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problem in their workplace (36% vs. 28%) though similar shares say it is at least a small problem in their industry (55% vs. 50%). But, there are no gender differences among non-STEM workers about the degree to which sexual harassment is a problem. Some 36% each of men and women in non-STEM jobs consider sexual harassment to be at least a small problem where they work.
Overall, 53% of STEM workers say sexual harassment is at least a small problem in their industry sector, compared with 46% of non-STEM workers. About a third of STEM workers (32%) and 36% of non-STEM workers say sexual harassment is at least a small problem where they work.
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Women in STEM jobs are also about three times as likely as men in these jobs (22% vs. 7%) to say that they have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. Similarly, working women in non-STEM occupations are more likely than their male counterparts to say they have experienced sexual harassment at work (22% and 7%, respectively).
Workers who have experienced sexual harassment at work – whether men or women – are more likely to say that sexual harassment is a big problem in their workplace (22% do vs. 8% of those who have not been sexually harassed at work) and in the industry where they work (28% vs. 9%).
These findings were gathered before the string of prominent sexual harassment allegations in Hollywood and beyond that sparked a public discussion of these issues, including the socialmedia-driven #MeToo movement.
## About a fifth of working women have experienced sexual harassment at work
_% of employed adults who say they …_
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Have experienced sexual harassment at work<br>Have not experienced sexual harassment at work<br>All employed 14% 85%<br>Among those in STEM jobs<br>Men 7 92<br>Women 22 77<br>Among those in non-STEM jobs<br>Men 7 91<br>Women 22 77<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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_Perception of fair treatment for women in promotion opportunities differs by gender, and the gaps tend to be wider among those in STEM than non-STEM positions_
Overall, most workers in the U.S. believe that women are “usually treated fairly” where they work when it comes to recruitment and hiring (72%) as well as in opportunities for promotions and advancement (64%). Smaller shares say women are sometimes treated fairly and sometimes treated unfairly when it comes to hiring (21%) or opportunities for advancement (27%), while fewer than one-in-ten say that women are usually treated unfairly where they work during either process.
Women in STEM positions are somewhat less likely than their male counterparts to consider women’s treatment when it comes to opportunities for advancement as usually fair. Some 63% of women in STEM jobs say women are usually treated fairly where they work when it comes to promotion and advancement opportunities, compared with 78% of men in STEM jobs. There is a similar, though less pronounced, gender gap in perceptions of fair treatment in opportunities for promotion and advancement among non-STEM workers.
## Gender differences over perceived treatment of women in promotion opportunities at work
_% of employed adults who say women are usually treated fairly in their workplace in each of the following situations_
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In the recruitment and In opportunities for promotion<br>hiring process and advancement<br>All employed 72% 64%<br>Among those in STEM jobs<br>Men 82 78<br>Women 76 63<br>Among those in non-STEM jobs<br>Men 72 67<br>Women 69 59<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
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## One-in-five female STEM workers see their gender as a barrier to workplace success; this group raises a variety of concerns from inequalities in pay to evaluations of performance
The majority of American workers say their gender has either made little difference (68%) or has made it easier to succeed in their job (17%), while 13% of workers say their gender has made it harder to succeed at work.
More women (20%) than men (7%) in STEM positions believe their gender has made it hard for them to succeed at work. Majorities of both groups say gender has made no particular difference in their workplace success. On the flip side, a quarter (25%) of men and 8% of women in these jobs believe their gender has made it easier to succeed.
In this regard, women in STEM share common ground with those in other occupations. Some 19% of women in non-STEM jobs say their gender has made it harder to succeed in their job, compared with 7% of men in non-STEM occupations.
## Most workers believe their gender has made little difference in success on the job
_% of employed adults who say their gender has made it harder to succeed at work, made it easier to succeed, or not made much difference_
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Harder Not made much difference Easier<br>All employed 13% 68% 17%<br>Among those with STEM jobs<br>Men 7 67 25<br>Women 20 70 8<br>Among those with non-STEM jobs<br>Men 7 67 23<br>Women 19 68 11<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity” PEW RESEARCH CENTER
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STEM workers who said that their gender has made it harder to succeed in their job were asked to explain why they said this. The most commonly cited hardship due to gender involved barriers to hiring and promotions and lower pay, including being turned down for leadership positions and being passed over for the best opportunities in the workplace (22% of this group).
Some examples of these concerns in their own words include:
_“I make 75% of the salary of my male counterparts”_ - Multiracial woman, professor in allied health profession, 58
_“There is a perception that men are better with technology and have the edge when it comes to promotions.”_ - White woman, systems analyst, 55
Some 19% of people who said their gender made it harder to succeed on the job gave examples of unfair treatment from coworkers. Examples of these concerns include:
_“People automatically assume I am the secretary, or in a less technical role because I am female. This makes it difficult for me to build a technical network to get my work done. People will call on my male_
## Concerns about how gender influences success in STEM jobs include pay gaps, standards for evaluation
_Among the 14% of those in STEM jobs who say their gender has made it harder for them to succeed in their job, % who say each of the following are reasons why_
|MOST COMMON TYPES OF RESPONSES|%|
|---|---|
|Hiring, promotion and salary barriers|22|
|Treatment by coworkers<br>Need to work harder than others; held to different<br>standards|19<br>14|
|Affected by reverse discrimination|13|
|Unwelcoming workplace environment<br>General bias against women<br>Problems with balancing work and family|13<br>12<br>11|
|All other responses|8|
|Don’t know/No answer|7|
Note: Based on STEM workers who say their gender has made it harder to succeed in their job (n=298). Open-ended responses are coded into categories. Figures add to more than 100% because multiple responses were allowed.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted July 11-Aug. 10, 2017. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”
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_co-workers, but not call on me.”_ - White woman, technical consultant, 36
_“I am more likely to be dismissed when I contribute. It took a lot longer for my efforts to be recognized than my male counterparts. More credence is given to male coworkers’ ideas who have not proven themselves yet.”_ - Black woman, software engineer, 36
Another 14% of those working in STEM who say their gender has made it harder to succeed at work describe needing to work harder than others to achieve the same success. Some examples:
_“A woman has to be significantly better at her job to be judged just as good. The reality has not changed in 36 years even though there are more women in engineering now.”_ - White woman, engineer, 58
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