Careers in science, engineering, and medicine offer opportunities to advance knowledge, contribute to the well-being of communities, and support the security, prosperity, and health of the United States. But many women do not pursue or persist in these careers, or advance to leadership positions - not because they lack the talent or aspirations, but because they face barriers, including: implicit and explicit bias; sexual harassment; unequal access to funding and resources; pay inequity; higher teaching and advising loads; and fewer speaking invitations, among others. There are consequences from this underrepresentation of women for the nation as well: a labor shortage in many science, engineering, and medical professions that cannot be filled unless institutions and organizations recruit from a broad and diverse talent pool; lost opportunities for innovation and economic gain; and lost talent as a result of discrimination, unconscious bias, and sexual harassment. Promising Practices for Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine reviews and synthesizes existing research on policies, practices, programs, and other interventions for improving the recruitment, retention, and sustained advancement into leadership roles of women in these disciplines. This report makes actionable recommendations to leverage change and drive swift, coordinated improvements to the systems of education, research, and employment in order to improve both the representation and leadership of women.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• COMMITTEE ON INCREASING THE NUMBER OF WOMEN IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS, AND MEDICINE (STEMM)
• COMMITTEE ON UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING THE UNDERREPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN PARTICULAR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES
• Preface
• Special Acknowledgment
• Committee Acknowledgments
• Overview
• Summary
  • THE TASK
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF PUBLIC POLICY
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  • I. DRIVING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
  • II. TARGETED, DATA-DRIVEN INTERVENTIONS BY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
  • III. PRIORITIZE, RECOGNIZE, REWARD, AND RESOURCE
  • IV. FILLING KNOWLEDGE GAPS
• 1. An Introduction to the Problem of Gender Inequities in U.S. STEMM Fields
  • STUDY APPROACH
• 2. Factors that Drive the Underrepresentation of Women in Scientific, Engineering, and Medical Disciplines
  • BARRIERS TO WOMEN’S PROGRESS
  • COMMON DYNAMICS ACROSS STEMM FIELDS
  • INTERSECTIONALITY AND THE DOUBLE BIND
  • DIFFERENCES ACROSS STEMM FIELDS
  • CONCLUSION: SYSTEMIC ISSUES IN STEMM CULTURE
  • FINDINGS: CHAPTER 2
• 3. Educational Interventions to Improve Recruitment and Retention
  • EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS IN STEMM CLASSROOMS
  • THE IMPORTANCE OF ROLE MODELS
  • CREATING INCLUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH MENTORING
  • MALE ALLIES
  • FINDINGS: CHAPTER 3
• 4. Effective Practices for Addressing Gender Disparity in Recruitment, Advancement, and Retention in STEMM
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RESEARCH LIMITATIONS
  • WHAT WORKS TO IMPROVE RECRUITMENT
  • WHAT WORKS TO IMPROVE ADVANCEMENT
  • WHAT WORKS TO IMPROVE RETENTION AND ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE
  • FINDINGS: CHAPTER 4
• 5. Overcoming Barriers to Implementation
  • COMMITTED, SUSTAINED LEADERSHIP
  • DEDICATED FINANCIAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES
  • UNDERSTANDING INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT
  • DATA COLLECTION FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND TARGETED INTERVENTION
  • ENSURING THAT ALL WOMEN BENEFIT FROM EQUITY AND DIVERSITY EFFORTS BY ACCOUNTING FOR INTERSECTIONALITY
  • FINDINGS: CHAPTER 5
• 6. Recommendations
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  • I. DRIVING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
  • II. TARGETED, DATA-DRIVEN INTERVENTIONS BY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
  • III. PRIORITIZE, RECOGNIZE, REWARD, AND RESOURCE
  • IV. FILLING KNOWLEDGE GAPS
• References
• Appendix A. List of Interventions Across Levels
• Appendix B. Relevant Findings and Recommendations from National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Reports

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Promising Practices for Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Opening Doors. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25585.

Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25585

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020933491

Additional copies of this publication are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

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