Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM): Refining the Concepts, Reframing the Issues

Abstract

One issue of great concern in the United States concerns disparities in achievement in science and engineering fields among groups. Much of the research on groups that are underrepresented in science and engineering in the United States uses the acronym STEM to refer to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; similarly, such research in Europe uses the acronym SET to refer to science, engineering and technology. Both acronyms hide significant differences between the sciences and engineering/technology in terms of how both the disciplines and careers are structured. Equally important, failure to disaggregate gender data by race/ethnicity and race/ethnicity data by gender obscures differences that have significant implications for research, policy, and programs designed to diversify the science and engineering workforces.