The Rising Presence of Women in Engineering

Diversity in the workforce contributes to creativity, productivity, and innovation. More women today are studying and excelling in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In the U.S., women make up 14 percent of the engineering workforce. The number of female engineers across the globe is on the rise but compared to male engineers it is still much lower.

“I started flying for the Air Force in 1978. The work environment was very different, as there were few women. Today, women have successfully displayed their competency in every area of work,” said Colonel Eileen Collins (Retired), NASA’s first female shuttle commander, when she shared leadership lessons for women in aerospace with Tech Briefs last year in an interview. “I would not say we are at gender equity yet, but the aerospace industry has enough women that it is not considered unusual anymore.”

The 2023 Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities report by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, indicates the U.S. STEM workforce gradually diversified between 2011 and 2021, with increased representation of women and underrepresented minorities. According to the report, in 2021, among people ages 18 to 74 years, women made up half (51 percent) of the total U.S. population and about a third (35 percent) of people employed in STEM occupations (Figure 1).

The report states that the number of science and engineering (S&E) degrees awarded continues to increase at all levels and across many fields. S&E degrees increased at the associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels from 2000 to 2019, both in numbers and as shares of total degrees. Women earned almost two-thirds of the degrees awarded in psychology, biological sciences, and social sciences in 2019 but received only about a quarter of those in engineering and computer sciences.

According to the NCSES report, the representation of women among postsecondary S&E degree recipients may indicate their forthcoming participation in STEM workforce. The number of S&E degrees earned by women increased at all degree levels between 2011 and 2020.

In 2020, women were awarded approximately 53,000 associate’s degrees, 375,000 bachelor’s degrees, 99,000 master’s degrees, and 17,000 doctoral degrees in S&E fields (Figure 2). From 2011 to 2020, the number of S&E degrees awarded to women increased the most at the bachelor’s degree level (96,000 degrees), representing a 34 percent increase. The 63 percent increase in S&E associate’s degrees awarded to women was the largest percentage increase over this period among all degree levels. S&E master’s degrees awarded to women increased by 45 percent, and doctoral degrees awarded to women increased by 18 percent over this decade.

The report also indicated that women accounted for 66 percent of bachelor’s degrees in social and behavioral sciences and 64 percent of degrees in agricultural and biological sciences in 2020 (Figure 3). In contrast, they accounted for 26 percent of these degrees in mathematics and computer sciences and 24 percent in engineering.

Although women remain underrepresented in engineering degree awards, their share of engineering degrees earned increased at all levels between 2011 and 2020. Growth was particularly pronounced at the bachelor’s level, where the number of engineering degrees awarded to women more than doubled from nearly 15,000 in 2011 to over 31,000 in 2020. As of 2020, women earned approximately a quarter of engineering degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree levels.

According to the NCSES report, although a bachelor’s degree S&E field can open doors to a variety of occupations, a master’s or doctoral degree is required for employment or advancement in some S&E professions. The data show that the gap between men and women in S&E graduate enrollment is shrinking.

Between 2017 and 2021, the number of women enrolled in S&E master’s programs increased by 37 percent (from 137,000 to 188,000), and the number of women in doctoral programs grew by 16 percent (from 104,000 to 122,000). Men outnumber women at both degree levels, but the enrollment gap has decreased due to faster growth in enrollment of women.

These figures are encouraging and indicate that longstanding efforts made by universities, associations, and companies to encourage more women to pursue STEM careers is showing results. While there is more gender diversity than ever in STEM fields, women remain a small share of degree earners in fields like engineering and computing. More work needs to be done.

For more information, visit here  . Read about Women in Aerospace: 7 Questions with Slingshot's Audrey Schaffer.

---