Women remain underrepresented in the science and engineering workforce, although to a lesser degree than in the past, with the greatest disparities occurring in engineering, computer science, and the physical sciences. 

Source: National Science Board, National Science Foundation. 2022. Science and Engineering Indicators 2022: The State of U.S. Science and Engineering. NSB-2022-1. Alexandria, VA. Available at https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20221 

• Women make up half of the total U.S. college-educated workforce, but only 34% of the science and engineering workforce. 

• Female scientists and engineers are concentrated in different occupations than are men, with relatively high shares of women in the social sciences (65%) and life sciences (48%) and relatively low shares in physical sciences (25%), computer and mathematical sciences (26%), and engineering (15%). 

Race and ethnicity are salient factors in rates of participation in the science and engineering workforce. 

• The U.S. science and engineering workforce has become more diverse, but several racial and ethnic minority groups continue to be significantly underrepresented. 

• In 2019, 65% of workers in science and engineering occupations were white, which is close to the proportion of the employed U.S. population (61%). 

• Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, and American Indians/Alaska Natives make up a smaller share of the science and engineering workforce (23%) than their proportion of the employed U.S. population (30%). 

• Asians work in science and engineering occupations at higher rates (9%) than their representation in the U.S. working-age population (6%).  

• The increase in female participation in science and engineering over the past two decades includes increasing participation by members of all racial and ethnic groups, especially Hispanic/Latina and Asian women. However, Latina, Black, and Indigenous women represent less than 10% of the STEM workforce overall.