Women in STEM: Home

Why Women in STEM?

The leaky pipeline, share of women in higher education and research, 2013


Women express interest in STEM fields at the same rate as men, but are far less likely to complete advanced degrees, gain employment, or achieve equal pay in these fields. Read more about women in STEM at the resources below.

A Note on Language

Throughout this guide, there are references to "women" and "female scientists." These words and terms are used because they are those that appear in existing scholarship and metadata. However, they are also exclusionary terms that fail to highlight how many of these issues also impact people who are not women and who are invisible in current and historical study, including transmen, non-binary people, and other members of the LGBTQIA community.

Additionally, this guide acknowledges that scientists may hold intersectional identities that impact the way they live and work. 'Intersectionality' is a term coined by law professor and scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw. The term addresses how, in Crenshaw's words, "many of our social justice problems like racism and sexism are often overlapping, creating multiple levels of social injustice." View the video below to hear Crenshaw's TEDTalk.

Items in this guide that may speak to intersectional identities and experiences are marked with an asterisk (*).

Finding Women and Underrepresented Peoples in STEM

So you're looking for a woman in STEM--maybe to use as a source, teaching material, or just inspiration. Where and how might you find them?

To find academic sources ABOUT women and underrepresented people in STEM, try some of the following databases and search strategies.Note that not all underrepresented groups have been well-studied, and some potentially exclusionary search terms may yield more results (i.e. "women in stem" vs. "minorities in STEM")

Search terms:

Women in Science/Minorities in Science

Women in Engineering/Minorities in Engineering

Women in Mathematics/Minorities in Mathematics

Women Scientists

Women in STEM

STEM pathways

Student Diversity

Faculty Diversity

Throughout this guide, we use common search terms that can help you locate relevant sources. These terms (used in headers, titles and descriptions of sources) may imply different meanings to different people.When presenting your research, you get to decide what terms to use and how to define them.

Being aware of the context of common terms can help you frame your topic in a way that feels accurate and respectful to you.

  • Last Updated: Mar 7, 2024 10:02 AM
  • URL: https://libguides.gvsu.edu/STEMwomen