They walked. And walked. And walked. Up Capitol Hill, past competing protests for and against abortion rights, past throngs of high school students listening as docents explained the inner workings of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, past smartly suited political staffers of all stripes. Eighty-three members of the Society of Women Engineers took to Washington, D.C., on April 2, to conduct 76 meetings with representatives and staff from the House and Senate — Democrats and Republicans alike. They were there to press the case for women’s equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“SWE has been coming to the Hill for many years, and regardless of which party holds power, it is important that we continue to keep the issues that impact women and girls in STEM front and center with our legislators,” says Karen Horting, SWE CEO and executive director. SWE has sponsored its Congressional Visits Day for 17 years.
This year was somewhat different in that there were no pending bills that SWE members could ask representatives to support. There was, however, the possibility that Congress might reconsider the STEM RESTART Act in May. The act, reintroduced but not passed last year, calls on Congress to offer tax incentives to small and midsized businesses for establishing paid “returnships” for midcareer professionals. Like internships, returnships allow workers to upgrade their skills and get real-world experience to prepare for the workforce. However, returnship experiences are geared toward those returning to jobs after an extended absence. The act would benefit anyone who had left a STEM job, whether to care for a family member, serve in the military, because of a layoff, or other reasons.
Last year, the STEM RESTART Act received bipartisan support and sponsorship, and during this visit, SWE members asked for the same broad support when it is reintroduced this year.
Shelly Dutler, principal engineer at consulting firm KE Collab LLC in West Dundee, Illinois, attended for her second time. She says congressional staffers expressed support for the bill if it has bipartisan backing. Dutler says staffers wanted to know more about how the returnships would be funded and what model they would follow.
Stacey DelVecchio, a SWE past president (FY14), retired engineer from Caterpillar, and additive manufacturing consultant, attended for her 14th time. “We had some say they would definitely support [the STEM RESTART Act] when they see the bill reintroduced,” she says.
DelVecchio says she received a warm reception in the offices she visited. “There was energy and excitement in the message we had,” she says. “There was an honest dialogue about what they were doing and questions on what help we could provide.”
Presenting the facts
In a departure from the in-person training typically offered to members on the day before the visits, SWE offered this year’s attendees advance virtual training in two online meetings. Members were armed with facts and figures from SWE’s research department and copies of an emailed letter from Horting delivered to congressional members on the morning of the scheduled visits. (Read the letter.)
SWE members pointed out that only 15% of working engineers in the United States are women; in some states, the percentage is even lower. “I didn’t sense any real surprise [at the 15% figure],” Dutler says. “But all seemed to understand the need to increase that percentage.”
“I think our message that ‘we can do better’ was well-received,” DelVecchio says.
Members added that one in three engineering jobs are currently unfilled and are likely to remain unfilled through 2030, according to research provided by Boston Consulting Group, a global business strategy and social impact firm. SWE members emphasized in their meetings that supporting women and those from historically underrepresented groups in their pursuit of STEM careers can help keep the U.S. at the forefront of science and technology research and innovations.
Horting says members always have an opportunity to meet with representatives when they are home in their districts. Members can find the training from this year’s event on SWE’s Public Policy page and a new training module on advocacy at the state level at the SWE Legislative Action Center.
Education under fire
Members also explained that SWE supports access to STEM education for all — from pre-K through postgraduate levels. They stressed the importance of ensuring that all students have the opportunities and support they need to excel in STEM subjects. They objected to recent funding cuts to the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. Among its many responsibilities, the DOE helps ensure all children gain exposure to STEM subjects in primary and secondary school, and the science foundation conducts and funds vital research at all levels of STEM teaching and learning.
SWE also supports any effort to increase apprenticeships and workforce development. Members asked staffers to support any legislation that invests in Department of Labor apprenticeship programs in STEM fields, and for continuing support for appropriations from the CHIPS and Science Act, which offers grants aimed at growing the U.S. STEM workforce.
Real-life stories
Dutler told staffers about an example from her life of the well-documented fact that more inclusive teams produce better, more creative, and effective results. Her son attends a residential STEM school with a student population of equal numbers of girls and boys. Her son’s FIRST Robotics team made it to the regional finals this year, and she observed that all of the top 10 finishers were teams that were diverse in gender and race. “The bottom 10 were teams of almost all one gender,” she says.
Congressional staffers say they appreciated hearing personal stories, Dutler says. Poignant stories are what representatives say they need to be able to drive home messages like SWE’s on the House and Senate floors.
Brian Muthangya, legislative assistant for Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill, told Dutler and DelVecchio that such stories would have even more impact if they came from women in “red states” whose lives and careers have been impacted by workplace inequities or recent actions by the Trump administration to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
“The staffers, this year and last year, asked smart questions, took notes, and answered all our questions,” Dutler says. “I felt heard and came away with action items to keep the momentum and conversation going.”
