How many girls were in your science and math classes? The answer depends on when you were in school, of course because the share of girls studying science, technology, engineering, and math has snowballed. The range of those STEM fields has grown even faster!

That is great news for science, not just those directly involved. “Women and girls belong in science. It is time to recognize that inclusion fosters innovation, and let every woman and girl fulfill her true potential,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement marking International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Closing the gender gap in science is the focus of the 2024 international day International Day of Women and Girls in Science | UNESCO  and a new report by UNESCO. UNESCO Call to Action: closing the gender gap in science - UNESCO Digital Library

In the United States, engaging young people in science and discovery is a core mission of the US Smithsonian Institution Elementary Science Education: The Next Generation | Smithsonian Science Education Center (si.edu).

A 2023 conference noted that “women and girls are finding incredible success in some STEM fields like biology and medicine,” – but “are they underrepresented in engineering, computer science, and other STEM fields.” 21st CCLC Summer Symposium Plenary, "Girls in STEM" featuring NASA women. | Smithsonian Science Education Center

The Smithsonian has embraced the mission of engaging students of all ages across its initiatives. Last summer, the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers 2023 Summer Symposium brought together many people determined to help. Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) 2023 Summer Symposium | National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) (ed.gov)

Significant progress has been achieved in elementary and secondary schools across the United States. But in universities, women are significantly underrepresented in the ranks of engineering and computer science – just one in five majors in those fields, even though women now account for 58% of university students pursuing undergraduate degrees.

Work on this challenge is a top focus of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Home | National Academies and AAUW The STEM Gap: Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – AAUW : Empowering Women Since 1881

After graduation, US women pursue even fewer jobs in STEM fields. Although they made up 47% of the US workforce in 2023, women held just 7% of the 12 million jobs in STEM fields:

  • Fewer than one in five worked in engineering and architecture
  • Just over one in four worked in computer and math jobs
  • Women were on a par with men in life, physical and social sciences, but that ranged widely – from 36% who worked as chemists, to 55% who were biologists, to 88% who were school psychologists

Worldwide, women account for 28 percent of engineering and 40 percent of computer science graduates, according to the World Bank. We need more girls and women in science. What are three ways in which we can support them? (worldbank.org)

For more about how the UN is working with national and local leaders:

Join the conversation on social media at #WomenInScience to learn more about what is happening around the world – and help imagine what you can do in your community and beyond.