The Economics and Statistics Administration released a report this past summer restating the need to recruit and retain more women to high-demand STEM fields such as engineering and computer science.

 “Women are vastly underrepresented in STEM jobs and among STEM degree holders despite making up nearly half of the U.S. workforce and half of the college-educated workforce.

That leaves an untapped opportunity to expand STEM employment in the United States, even as there is wide agreement that the nation must do more to improve its competitiveness.”

Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation (August 2011)

Young women in high school seem to have already lost interest (or still have not found an interest) in pursuing engineering or computer science as reflected by their course selections. Erik Robelen, a writer for Education Week, took the recently released College Board report on Advanced Placement courses and identified patterns in AP test taking by gender. He found males and females took Calculus AB at about the same rate, but females took a larger share of the AP Biology exams. Males, on the other hand, took a larger share of the AP Computer Science, Physics, and Calculus BC exams – subjects more directly leading to a college major in engineering or computer science.

Even within the population of adolescent girls with an interest in STEM subjects, most intend to enter a medical or healthcare profession rather than the high-demand fields of engineering, math, or computer science according to a separate survey.

Why are high-demand STEM careers not attracting bright young women? Part of the reason may be a lack of role models or misconceptions about the field of engineering.  This is what makes programs targeting middle school girls, such as ExxonMobil’s “Introduce a Girl to Engineering,” all the more exciting.

ExxonMobil’s annual event brings middle school girls to 13 ExxonMobil locations across the country. Female engineers from ExxonMobil engage young women in hands-on activities that connect math and science to real life applications. By targeting students who are just beginning to form their opinions on career options, the intent is to spark a curiosity that will last through high school and into college.

* ExxonMobil is a sponsor of Laying the Foundation’s parent company the National Math and Science Initiative.