This committee would like to thank the members of the Committee on Understanding and Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Particular Science and Engineering Disciplines for their diligent work and the substantial intellectual contributions they made to this report. Those committee members analyzed the data on the status of women in multiple STEMM disciplines, documented factors contributing to the persistence of women’s underrepresentation despite decades of efforts to mitigate it, and presented examples of the intentional and unintentional resistance that women face at many levels. They also identified effective intervention programs, provided insights into the importance of institutional context in implementing successful programs, and proposed actions to increase the participation of women and girls in STEMM.

In preparing this report, we drew from the full range of resources that had been assembled for the project, including a significant existing research base, recommendations from previous National Academies reports, three individually authored papers commissioned by the National Academies, existing data sets, and substantial background research and writing by the project staff. We also examined new research and conducted our own analysis, drawing on the evidence and the expertise of committee members. In addition, the report builds significantly on the ideas, interpretations of the research, and conclusions of the members of the Committee on Understanding the Underrepresentation of Women. Their analyses are used extensively in the discussions of data and conclusions from the commissioned research papers in Chapters 2 and 3. Also, many of the strategies to implement changes in academic recruitment, retention, and advancement in Chapter 4—which presents 17 practical strategies for higher education institutions to implement change—are strategies articulated by that committee, whom we gratefully acknowledge.

The committee would also like to acknowledge the work of the consultants who have contributed to the report: Jennifer Saunders, Michelle Rodrigues, Kathryn Clancy, Evava Pietre, Corinne Moss-Racusin, Leslie Ashburn-Nardo, Jojanneke Van Der Toorn, Christine Lindquist, and Tasseli McCay. Their commissioned research and writing contributed substantially to the foundation of evidence presented in the report.

We want also to sincerely thank the staff of this project for their valuable leadership and guidance and for the extensive research and writing activities they undertook in support of the study through their work with both committees. Specifically, we would like to thank Ashley Bear, Alex Helman, and Tom Rudin.

Next, we thank the reviewers of the report. This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Molly Carnes, University of Wisconsin; Gabriele González, Louisiana State University; Eve Higginbotham, University of Pennsylvania; Stacie Furst Holloway, University of Cincinnati; Charles Isbell, Georgia Institute of Technology; Anne-Marie Nunez, Ohio State University; Claire Parkinson, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Charles Phelps, University of Rochester (Emeritus); Julia Phillips, Sandia National Laboratories (Retired); and Joan Reede, Harvard Medical School.

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Maryellen Giger, University of Chicago, and Catherine Kling, Cornell University. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

Finally, the committee would like thank the sponsors that made this study possible: the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and L’Oréal USA.