Black women are now the most educated group in the United States, but they remain woefully underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The COVID-19 pandemic is our chance to repair this gap.
Search Results for: women in STEM
Engineering New Pathways to Success for Women in STEM
More than 100 high school girls took over the labs at Sacramento State University this April to experiment with magnets, play with static electricity, smash concrete, pull metal and get a taste of computer programming.
‘Invisible, Disappeared, Erased’: The Systematic Oppression of Afghan Women and Girls Since the Taliban Takeover
The U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, leaving the Taliban as the de facto authorities. Since then, the Taliban has issued hundreds of repressive decrees designed to systematically oppress and marginalize Afghan women and girls, from denying them education, to restricting their movement.
Ms. sat down with Dr. Lauryn Oates, executive director of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, a nonprofit organization that supports Afghan women and girls by investing in basic education, literacy and technology for education; providing grants and scholarships and other financial support; and engaging in policy advocacy to restore Afghan women and girls’ fundamental human rights and dignity.
“The Taliban’s treatment of women is a threat to women everywhere. Other groups are taking note that the Taliban is getting away with these restrictions, that it can literally strip women and girls of all rights and there’s no consequences.”
The Last Two Years Saw Record Wins for Women in Politics Worldwide. How Can Election Rules and Voting Systems Shape Opportunities for Women?
While the U.S. is making slow progress toward political parity, other countries are making more significant gains over time.
This month, RepresentWomen released the Golden Year Analysis, which identified the factors influencing global progress toward gender parity in politics in 2021 and 2022. Of 85 countries that held elections in these years, 43 achieved a “golden year” by electing a record-high number of women to their national legislatures.
While this is certainly cause for celebration, gender-balanced governance remains far from reach for many countries, including the United States.
Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Queen’s Death Is a Reminder That Systems Matter; Is Liz Truss on the Side of Women?
Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S. and around the world—with a little gardening and goodwill mixed in for refreshment!
This week: Maura Healey may become Massachusetts’ first woman governor and the nation’s first openly lesbian governor; Brits aren’t so sure if PM Liz Truss is truly on the side of women; the longest any monarch has ever served in British history, Queen Elizabeth II has died; and more.
27 Times More Men Than Women Joined the Labor Force Last Month. It’s Time for Systemic Change
Virtually hidden in last week’s job numbers hype was some terrible news for women: 27 times more men than women joined the labor force last month.
As the pandemic (hopefully) continues to wane and jobs come back, we need to look deeper and think long-term about fixes for women that won’t disappear when the next superbug comes along—systemic fixes like establishing a robust care infrastructure, raising the minimum wage, and strengthening workplace protections.
Lawmakers and Women’s Equality Advocates Continue Legal Effort for Recognition of ERA: “We Need to Remedy the Systemic Causes of Sex Inequality”
It’s January 2022—almost 100 years since the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first proposed by Alice Paul and introduced in Congress. And with the start of the new year, legal wrangling for the proposed 28th Amendment to the Constitution is ramping back up.
The Change Women Need: Systemic Reforms Power the Path to Equality
Sixty-six countries have outpaced the United States in women’s representation—not because their women are more qualified or ambitious, but because they have implemented electoral systems and policies to ensure more level playing fields and greater opportunity in the electoral process.
If the U.S. wants to accelerate greater gender representation and demonstrate it truly values women’s political leadership, we need changes to our political and electoral systems.
Women Are Not Safe Until the Criminal Justice System Holds Abusers Accountable
In the 21st century, being female is still assumed to be a valid provocation for harassment and violence. Men who wish to harm women will continue to coexist with the rest of us until the large-scale systems, particularly the criminal justice system, stop protecting and shrugging away their crimes.
COVID-19 Exposes International Aid System’s Failure to Protect Women and Girls: ‘We Must Do Better’
The pandemic has shown the critical state of violence against women and girls in conflict and crisis settings around the world, and the aid industry’s failure, yet again, to protect them or support their leadership.