Promising Practices for Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in STEM: A Comparative Analysis Across Scientific Disciplines

几十年来，科学界和工程界一直在努力提高妇女和代表不足的少数群体在STEM中的代表性，虽然取得了进展，但在STEM教育的许多级别和STEM职业生涯的各个阶段，妇女，特别是有色人种妇女在许多科学和工程领域的代表性仍然不足。这项对国家科学院的研究将试图了解在实施改善妇女在STEM中代表性的有希望的做法方面存在的体制障碍，以便可以消除或克服这些障碍。重要的是，这项研究不会让女性承担责任，而是将重点放在帮助机构了解如何消除因过时的制度结构而存在的障碍。此外，将投入大量精力来审查最成功的政策、做法和战略背后的证据，这些政策、做法和战略已证明有效地为妇女在科技和经济管理领域的参与和成功敞开大门。由全国科学、工程和医学妇女委员会(CWSEM)主持的一个由专家组成的指定研究委员会将开展以下活动：1)对为什么妇女在某些STEM学科中的代表性比其他学科更低的研究进行比较检查；2)审查、分析和综合现有的关于政策、做法、计划和其他干预措施的研究，以改善妇女在特定STEM学科和职业轨迹的不同阶段的招聘、留住和持续晋升为领导角色；3)调查为什么有效的干预措施没有被更多的机构和工作场所扩大或采用；以及4)为执行有前景的政策和做法制定循证建议，以改善妇女在特定STEM学科中的代表性和领导力。这项研究还将特别强调种族和性别的交集，考虑到关于有色人种妇女在STEM中面临的具体障碍的累积研究，以及对有色人种妇女在STEM中的代表性产生影响的政策和做法的研究。这项研究对于学术机构和组织、私营部门以及对STEM股权有重大兴趣和承诺的州和联邦立法者和联邦机构来说是非常及时的。完成并发布最终报告后，国家科学院将与学术界、工业界、政府、国会和专业社会的利益相关者开展一系列密集的沟通和外联活动。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The scientific and engineering communities have been working towards improved representation of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM for decades, and while progress has been made, women and, in particular, women of color remain underrepresented in many scientific and engineering fields at many levels in STEM education and stages in STEM careers. This study of the National Academies will seek to understand institutional barriers to implementing promising practices for improving representation of women in STEM, such that those barriers can be removed or overcome. Importantly, this study will not put the onus on women, but rather will focus on helping institutions understand how to remove barriers that exist because of outmoded institutional structures. Moreover, considerable energy will be invested in examining the evidence behind the most successful policies, practices and strategies that have demonstrated effectiveness in opening doors to women's participation and success in STEM fields. An appointed study committee of experts under the auspices of the NAS Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine (CWSEM) will undertake the following activities: 1) a comparative examination of research on why women are more underrepresented in some STEM disciplines compared to others; 2) a review, analysis, and synthesis of existing research on policies, practices, programs and other interventions for improving recruitment, retention, and sustained advancement into leadership roles of women in specific STEM disciplines and at different stages in career trajectories; 3) an investigation into why effective interventions have not been scaled up or adopted by more institutions and workplaces; and 4) the development of evidence-based recommendations for implementing promising policies and practices to improve both representation and leadership of women within specific STEM disciplines. The study will also place a strong emphasis on the intersection of race and gender by considering the accumulated research on specific barriers faced by women of color in STEM and the research on policies and practices that have had an impact on the representation of women of color in STEM. This study is very timely for academic institutions and organizations, the private sector, as well as state and federal legislators and federal agencies that have a major interest and commitment to equity in STEM. Upon completion and publication of the final report, the National Academies will undertake an intensive set of communication and outreach activities with stakeholders in academia, industry, government, Congress, and professional societies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.