students working on engineering project at the Y

STEM for All

Equity in STEM helps every kid advance.

Developing Equity Through STEM

Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM careers—but the Y is changing that. By incorporating fair and equitable practices into our afterschool and summer STEM programs for kids, we're helping young leaders understand the positive impact they can have by promoting gender equity in STEM.

STEM by the Numbers

  • 12%

    Currently, only 12% of scientists and engineers are Black, Hispanic or Indigenous

  • 66%

    STEM programs at the Y provide 66% more STEM opportunities to underrepresented young people (Hispanic, Black, American Indian, Alaska Native individuals)

Adult and child using pen and paper

Equity Isn't the Same as Equality

Ensuring gender equity requires a real commitment to elevating girls’ participation, to counterbalance patterns that result in the underrepresentation of women in STEM careers. Ensuring gender equity doesn’t just positively impact girls; it positively affects all young people:

  • Intentionally calling on girls leads to calling on quiet boys
  • Calling on girls more often leads to dominant boys learning to share
  • Activities that intentionally engage girls lead to engagement from all genders
Teens presenting with an easel

Women in STEM: Fast Facts

  • Women make up half the total U.S. college-educated workforce, but only 29% of the science and engineering workforce (National Science Board, 2016)
  • Fewer than 1 in 10 employed scientists and engineers are women of color (National Science Foundation, 2016)
  • Young girls are less likely to consider women "really, really smart" (Bian, Leslie & Cimpian, 2017)

Find Your Y

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