Community College Journal - April/May 2012

CCRC presents the following sessions
at the 92nd Annual AACC Convention
(all sessions take place at the
Orlando World Center Marriott):

Keeping the End in Mind: Examining Completers’ Course-Taking to Improve Advising and Program Design Sunday, April 22, 2012, 2:30–3: 30 PM Canary Ballroom 1 Matthew Zeidenberg, CCRC Davis Jenkins, CCRC Karen Stout, Montgomery County Community College

More Opportunities
In STEM, Too Few
Women

Tweaking the Process: Reducing Institutional Complexity to Increase Student Success Monday, April 23, 2012, 9:15–10: 15 AM Grand Ballroom 10 Shanna Smith Jaggars, CCRC James Jacobs, Macomb Community College Jill Little, Macomb Community College Mary Frega, Macomb Community College

Weighing the Evidence: Considering Different Approaches to Improve Students’ Skills Monday, April 23, 2012, 9:15–10: 15 AM Crystal Ballroom, Salon F Elisabeth A. Barnett, CCRC Mary Visher, MDRC Tamara Clunis, Amarillo College Christine Johnson McPhail, Achieving the Dream

Can We Significantly Raise Completion Rates? The Completion by Design Approach Monday, April 23, 2012, 2:45–3: 45 PM Crystal Ballroom, Salon F Nan Poppe, Portland Community College Davis Jenkins, CCRC Lenore Rodicio, Miami Dade College

OPEN RECEPTION

Hosted by CCRC and the National Center for Postsecondary Research

Sunday, April 22nd, 7:00–9:00 PM
Orlando World Center Marriott
Crystal Ballroom, Salon G1

Learn more about CCRC at http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu

espite a surge in the numbers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs in recent years, a new study from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) says women are losing ground in the race for STEM-related careers.

While STEM-related job openings are projected to grow
by 17 percent between 2008 and 2018, nearly twice that of all other job fields, the
report, “Increasing Opportunities for Low-Income Women and Student Parents
in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math at Community Colleges,” says the
number of women pursuing these opportunities at their community colleges is in
precipitous decline.

Fifteen years ago, women reportedly earned 33. 8
percent of STEM-related degrees. By 2007, research-
ers say that percentage had dropped to 27. 5 percent.

Today, though women constitute half the U.S. labor force, just one in four STEM-related jobs is held by a woman.

At the associate degree level, the report said, women are more likely to pursue careers in so-called traditional fields, such as consumer services (86.7 percent female), health sciences (84.6 percent female), and education (73.8 percent female).

Experts say this is one reason women traditionally earn less than men. According to the report, women in male-dominated STEM job fields earn, on average, one-third more than women in non-STEM-related positions.

Advocates for expanding STEM-related education at community colleges say these courses provide a means for women to earn more, especially underserved minorities and those from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds.

“A number of exciting programs around the country are working to break those gender and race divides, and their techniques can serve as a model for other community colleges that want to equalize enrollment in STEM programs,” said Barbara Gault, vice president and executive director of IWPR.

The report offers recommendations for improving access to STEM programs for women, particularly low-income women attending community colleges, and provides snapshots of promising programs from across the country.

“Investing in STEM education for low-income women and student parents is a
win-win strategy,” said Cynthia Costello, author of the report. “It strengthens the
economic security of American families and expands the number of highly skilled
STEM workers to make the nation more competitive in the 21st century.”
A podcast featuring Costello is available for download ( tinyurl.com/82cx2m4).
In the podcast, Costello says a larger number of women in STEM careers would
contribute to greater economic security for women and their families and the
nation as a whole. To download the full report, visit www.iwpr.org/publications.