Black, Hispanic employees are underrepresented in US science and engineering, Pew report finds

Abstract

Black and Hispanic people are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers in the US, and that is unlikely to change if current trends continue, according to a new report on diversity in science from the Pew Research Center . In an analysis of federal data, the Pew report shows that Hispanic people are the most underrepresented in STEM fields, making up just 8% of the STEM workforce but 17% of all US workers. Black employees hold 9% of STEM jobs yet represent 11% of all workers. Black workers are especially underrepresented in engineering, physical sciences, and life sciences, where they hold less than 6% of the jobs. Asian and White scientists are overrepresented in STEM jobs in relation to their percentages of the population, the analysis finds. The report also looked at the proportion of women in STEM careers. In physical sciences, the percentage of women rose