STEM Inequity
In America
The gender gap within the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields remains a persistent challenge in the United States. To quantify this disparity, I delved into the American Community Survey data, examining the distribution of men and women across various STEM occupations and the income gap between the genders, as well as trends indicating whether the situation is improving.
Female Representation in STEM, 2024
The visualization portrays the representation of females across all STEM occupations nationwide. Each point denotes an occupation; its x-axis position reflects the percentage of females within it.
The data reveals a stark underrepresentation of women in quintessential STEM roles such as engineering, architecture, computer science, and physical sciences. Conversely, in fields like healthcare, social science, and life sciences, certain occupations have a higher female employment rate.
I also collected data on female-to-male earnings ratios in all STEM categories from 2008 to 2022 and analyzed the year-to-year changes. On average, women earn about 86 percent of what men earn, with a pay gap of 14 percent. the contrast between the 2008 and 2022 data shows that the overall picture of STEM inequality is not showing significant signs of improvement.
A Closer Look at California's STEM Inequity
To gain deeper insights, I focused on California's computer science and mathematics occupation, analyzing the change in STEM inequity from 2019 to 2022 across various counties.
Comparative maps reveal a deteriorating trend in gender income disparity across multiple counties. Notably, the Bay Area, known for its technology sector, shows relatively stable gender gap changes.
In STEM, inclusivity could drive innovation and economic equality. With the continuation of data-driven approaches, we can better understand and, more importantly, craft targeted solutions to bridge the gender gap in STEM.