Creepy Stepford Wives Voice
LACK OF INCLUSION & DIVERSITY IN STEM RELATED SECTOR
What? What do you mean? There is no problem? Everything is okay.
Career paths with a concentration toward STEM and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics are anticipated to grow “to 9 million, between 2012 and 2022.” STEM is an acronym for jobs related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Campbell et. al. states, “Despite efforts over the past 30 years, only modest improvements in workforce diversity in the sciences have been achieved (Antonio 2002, Villalpando and Delgado Bernal 2002, Mervis 2005).” There are continuous and major initiatives to motivate students at all levels of academics to engage in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. A few of these initiatives consists of ‘Girls Who Code, We Can Code It, and Made with Code,” which are all aimed at closing the diversity gap within the tech sector. However, the problem is more than just a superficial overview of filling a void of jobs within the tech industry. While statistics, demonstrate the issue of lack of diversity originated thirty years ago, there are debates surrounding the credibility of the statistics, and only by applying scientific reasoning can one uncover if the statistic can be deemed credible.
The credibility of this statistic resides within the tech industry admitting lack of diversity exist within their current workforce. Moreover, as reported by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission in 2014, “Compared to overall private industry, the high tech sector employed a larger share of whites (63.5 percent to 68.5 percent), Asian Americans (5.8 percent to 14 percent) and men (52 percent to 64 percent), and a smaller share of African Americans (14.4 percent to 7.4 percent), Hispanics (13.9 percent to 8 percent), and women (48 percent to 36 percent).” However, not all of tech industry considers there is a problem with diversity and are not willing to embrace initiatives to combat the lack of diversity. The Bureau of Labor Statistics asserts, “Seven out of the ten largest STEM occupations were computer related.” While, the tech sector has collectively taken steps to close the diversity gap, it is difficult to see significant gains if there are debates addressing the diversity issue as a myth.
Although, statistics clearly show otherwise, the root cause goes beyond the scope of what demographics make up the workforce. The issue is systemic and stems from the educational arena relevant to the demographic composition of the student body and educational staff at all academic levels. The evidence is demonstrated in President, Obama’s ‘STEM for All,’ project launched in 2016. With the intention to address not only the lack of diversity within the tech sector, but to close the gap on diversity STEM related education at all levels. Another credible source is investigating the institutional profile reports, for all academic levels by demographics, area of study, and graduation rates, which can provide an estimate on how the lack of diversity will play out once students graduate and enter careers that are related to STEM. Smith et. al. emphasizes, “To meet the projected workforce need of 1 million additional STEM graduates by 2022, and to realize the vision of a highly diverse, creative, and sufficient STEM workforce and a STEM-literate citizenry, the Nation must engage all students.”
Another factor contributing to the widening gap in diversity within the STEM workforce, is the lack of diversity in the faculty educating students in the area of STEM. According to an in depth study conducted from the University of U.C. Davis, Caucasian men accounted for fifty-one percent of the faculty who teach in STEM related disciplines. With minorities accounting for the remaining percentages and twenty-eight percent of women. Some tech giants have made some progress by hiring women, but the data measures for minorities fulfilling these STEM related roles remains low. Tech workers who pass off the lack of diversity gap as a myth contribute to accurately assessing and resolving the lack of diversity. Blanche of Wired stresses, “As an industry dedicated to data-driven solutions, it's time to measure diversity with the same level of obsession.”
The problems associated with lack of diversity within STEM related fields and specifically, the tech sector travels outside the scope of solely an absence of a diverse work force. Assessing statistics by using a holistic approach and thorough examination of how the statistics align into the broader picture, will narrow down a valid conclusion. Harnessing the first scientific approach of a deducing from statistical data, which investigates the issue by looking at the composition of the work forces within the tech sector, the demographics of the student body within STEM related curricular, and the composition of the faculty teaching disciplines in STEM related fields and tech sector construct a path to critically think about the data given. And as demonstrated by the statistics, the major conduits to tackling the lack of diversity within STEM related field are not superficial and encompass a systemic root cause, which attributes more to the validity of this statistics, which I deem plausible.
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References
DIVERSITY IN HIGH TECH.” Diversity in High Tech, www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/reports/hightech/.
“STEM for All.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2016/02/11/stem-all.
https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acs-24.pdf
“A National Analysis of Minorities in Science and Engineering Faculties at Reasearch Universities.” UC Davis ADVANCE, ucd-advance.ucdavis.edu/post/national-analysis-minorities-science-and-engineering-faculties-reasearch-universities.
Blanche, Aubrey. “Tech Firms Striving For Diversity Fixate On The Wrong Metric.” Wired, Conde Nast, 2 June 2017, www.wired.com/2017/04/tech-firms-striving-diversity-fixate-wrong-metric/.s