Gender Balance in the

Workforce
BY ED EHRLICH
OGL 350
 1. Title

2. Presentation Outline

3. Introduction

4. Thesis

5. Narrative: Women in STEM: A Gender Gap

Presentation
6. Narrative: Questions to Ponder

7. Narrative: Lack of Female Representation in Engineering and Computer Science Degree

Outline 8.
Fields

Narrative: Women in Military STEM Fields

9. Narrative: Changing Gender Roles and Stereotypes

10. Narrative: Top Reasons Why Women Leave STEM Fields

11. Narrative: What Can the Air Force Operations & Maintenance Contractor Do?

12. Conclusion

13. References
 • Women are greatly underrepresented in the STEM
workforce sector.
• Culture and societal norms have a major affect on the job
fields selected by women.
• The Military is a primary source for government hiring.
Women are greatly outnumbered in key military STEM
Introduction fields which has the balance of the STEM workforce.
• Outside influences such as gender roles greatly effect the
career paths of women in the STEM career field.
• This presentation will explain the enormity of the STEM
gender gap, highlight some specific reasons why it exists,
and provide solutions to improve the gender balance in the
technical workforce.
 • Statement of Fact/Issue: The Communications
Operations Department for the operations
contractor on Vandenberg Air Force Base has long
been dominated by a mostly male technician
Thesis workforce.
• Problem examined/Thesis: What can the company
and its management do to attract more female
applicants for future technical positions?
Women in STEM: A Gender Gap
• “According to the Census Bureau’s 2009
American Community Survey, women
comprise 48% of the U.S. workforce, but just
24% of STEM workers. In other words, half
as many women are working in STEM jobs
as one might expect if gender representation
in STEM professions mirrored the overall
workforce.” (Beede, 2)
Questions to
Ponder
• Why does the STEM Gender
Gap exist?
• How does American’s Culture
and overall concept of gender
roles play into the imbalance?
• What can we as a society do to
fix this?
• What can your company do to
attract female applicants for
STEM positions?
 Lack of Female Representation in Engineering and
Computer Science Degree Fields
• One of the major hiring requirements of a
Technician is education. According to the
National Student Clearinghouse Research
Center, as of 2013, only 12% of the total
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,
Mathematics) degrees issued to women
were in the Engineering & Computer
Sciences field while their male counterparts
received 36%
Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Data Output – Stem Degrees by Age and
Gender. Nov, 2013. Web.
 Women in Military STEM Fields

• Many technicians are hired from the military,

however “Women in the military face a double
disadvantage with regard to STEM. Female
service members are already less likely to earn
a STEM degree (by virtue of their gender), and
are then channeled into military careers in
which they receive less STEM exposure than
their male colleagues.” (Steidl et al, 2)

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2017/08/16/despite-changes-13-navy-ratings-
are-still-99-percent-men/
 Changing Gender Roles and
Stereotypes
• A recent University of Washington study concluded that
more women would study computer science if the
media would do away with the ‘computer nerd’
stereotype.
• “These stereotypes are inconsistent with the female
gender roles and the qualities that are considered
appropriate for women.” (Armstrong, 2013)
• “In 2010, Mattel let girls vote online for which career
they wanted Barbie to have next…Computer Engineer
Barbie ended up winning by a landslide” (Cheryan,
2015)
 • “Poor and/or inequitable compensation, poor
working conditions, inflexible and demanding
work environment that made work-family balance
difficult”
Top Reasons
• “Unmet achievement needs that reflected a
Women Leave dissatisfaction with effective utilization of their
STEM Jobs math and science skills”
• “Unmet needs with regard to lack of recognition at
work and adequate opportunities for
advancement.”
(Fouad, 2)
What Can the Air Force Operations
& Maintenance Contractor Do?
• Conduct or participate in Job Fairs aimed at Women
in STEM Fields. Recruiters and websites like
STEMwomen.co.uk conduct virtual job fairs weekly.
• Offer Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan
• Recognize that women are as valuable an asset to
the company as men are. Set aside implicit bias and
societal norms in regard to gender roles in the hiring
process.
• Be committed to diversity; place an emphasis on
hiring a diverse workforce.
 • Men outnumber women in earning technical degrees
by a nearly three to one ratio.
• Approximately 1% of military servicemembers who
serve in STEM roles are female.
• Studies show that the STEM Gender Gap is
recognized and there are programs in place to
Conclusion mitigate the issue.
• American culture is tending to loosen long held
norms on gender roles and stereotypes.
• Companies need to enact female policies in order to
retain/increase female participation in technical
fields.
 • Armstrong, D. (2013, June 25). More Women Pick Computer Science if Media Nix Outdated
‘Nerd’ Stereotype. Retrieved from University of Washington News:
https://www.washington.edu/news/2013/06/25/more-women-pick-computer-science-if-
media-nix-outdated-nerd-stereotype/

• Beede, D. (2011 August). Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation. U.S. Department
of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration. ESA Issue Brief #04-11 pp 1-11.
Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED523766.pdf

•
References
Cheryan, S. (2015, February 11). Cultural Stereotypes as Gatekeepers: Increasing Girls’
Interest in Computer Science and Engineering by Diversifying Stereotypes. Frontiers in
Psychology Vol.6, Article 49 Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4323745/

• Fouad, J (2017, June 30). Women’s Reasons for Leaving the Engineering Field. Frontiers in
Psychology Vol.8, Article 875 Retrieved from
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00875/full

• Steidl, C. (2020). Soldiers to Scientists: Military Service, Gender, and STEM Degree Earning.
Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World Vol.6 pp. 1-11. Retrieved from
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2378023120948713