Reducing gender bias in STEM

Abstract

Women continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Gender discrimination and gender bias reinforce cultural stereotypes about women and their ability to perform in male-dominated STEM fields. Greater policy intervention can bolster national response to gender-based harassment and discrimination. There are four major efforts that individual institutions, local governments, and the federal government can support to combat gender discrimination in STEM: (1) invest in early education initiatives for increasing female representation,(2) institute stronger state and federal policies around gender discrimination, (3) foster workplace practices that promote diversity, and (4) develop better quantification and metrics for assessing gender discrimination to enact more meaningful policies.