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Advocacy Is More Important Than Ever
The research amplifies what many in the field already know: women still face bias, discrimination, and discouragement from pursuing STEM educations and careers.
It’s once again time for SWE Magazine’s annual State of Women in Engineering issue. Here, we present the most comprehensive assessment of social science research in 2024 from around the world on the status of women engineers and technologists.
Thoroughly documented by researchers at the Center for Evaluation & Research for STEM Equity at the University of Washington, the review highlights the continuation of systemic barriers to women’s success in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology, or STEM. The research argues, and rightly so, that limiting the participation of women and other historically marginalized groups severely restricts industry’s ability to develop a strong, reliable pipeline of talent. And that talent will be increasingly needed as STEM job openings continue to grow globally in the coming decades.
As in past years, the research reveals that women, girls, and other historically marginalized groups are fully capable of excelling in STEM. It is the deep-rooted institutional, cultural, and structural roadblocks that limit their progress and their numbers in STEM fields of study and employment. The research reveals that streamlined educational approaches, formalized mentorships and sponsorships, and transparent career paths and salary structures can help ensure women succeed in STEM and continue to make meaningful contributions to the field.
The magazine also includes an article on the changing landscape for Title IX student protections under the new administration, which has begun to roll back progress made only last year to extend the regulation’s coverage to LGBTQ+ students and make pursuing a claim of harassment or assault a fairer process. As contributing writer Sandra Guy reports in “Title IX Upended, but State Laws and Court Rulings Stand,” states, courts, and universities can still offer wide protections.
We also include a list of the women engineering deans who lead U.S. academics. Research has shown that women thrive when they have positive women role models to follow. These deans can help ensure women students receive all the opportunities and support they need to succeed in their pursuits of a STEM degree. The article includes profiles of a handful of women engineering deans who are making a meaningful difference on their campuses.
Other articles cover a recent United Nations brief on the status of women in STEM in the workplace, the accomplishments to date of SWE’s Women of Color in Engineering Collaborative, and how organizations can better engage with minority-serving institutions. The issue also includes the latest installment of “Building A Legacy,” which documents SWE’s history as we celebrate the Society’s 75th anniversary this year.
Additionally, this issue is the one that we use to assist in our advocacy work every year. The new U.S. administration brings a much different perspective on diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI. SWE’s research and benchmarking is critical to ensure the benefits and impacts of DEI on the workforce are clear, data-driven, and irrefutable. I encourage everyone reading this issue to examine it thoroughly and think about what advocacy looks like for you personally. Does it look like writing to one of your congressional representatives and sharing this information? Does it include going into SWE’s Advanced Learning Center and taking advocacy training, so you’re better equipped to discuss DEI issues? Does it mean sharing this issue with those in your workplace to give colleagues, especially hiring managers, a different way to think about DEI?
One thing is very clear right now: Every member is critical in lifting up all women’s voices. Don’t discount your own power and voice, because we are stronger together, and Together We Rise.
