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Lack of Women in STEM Hurts Competitiveness

By Richard Whitmire — August 25, 2011 1 min read
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That’s the conclusion of this Commerce Department report. Most interesting: the numbers show the gap is not closing.

The report, "Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation," found that while the work force comprises 48 percent women, they hold just 24 percent of STEM jobs. At the undergraduate level, 2.5 million women hold STEM degrees compared with 6.7 million men. Among those degree holders, women are less likely than their male counterparts to work in related careers. Instead, women often move to education or health care professions.

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