Fighting for STEM Women in the Age of Trump

President Donald Trump recently signed two laws designed to encourage young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

Given Trump’s skepticism towards certain areas of scientific inquiry, like climate change, one would expect STEM gender equality to be a low priority for his administration, writes Nada Marie Anid, Ph.D., dean of NYIT School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, in an op-ed published in Forbes.com.

“But Trump’s support has less to do with his personal views than with an undeniable reality: closing the nation’s persistent STEM gender gap will be essential to achieving many of his administration’s economic and national-security goals,” she says.

While women earn almost 60 percent of the nation’s bachelor’s degrees, they account for only 13 percent of computer science graduates. Computer science consistently has the lowest share of female bachelor’s degree-earners of any STEM field. “Women, in other words, represent an extraordinary reservoir of untapped talent for countering the threats posed by cyber warfare,” she says.

This disparity exists despite the fact that the long-term competitiveness of domestic industries from manufacturing and IT to healthcare and energy will depend on a healthy supply of STEM-trained professionals, including women.

The Trump administration could easily build on the Obama administration’s efforts with its own programs aimed at closing the gender gap. For instance, federal officials might initiate public-private scholarship programs aimed specifically at girls interested in pursuing careers in STEM areas like cybersecurity, biomedical engineering, and software development.

“It’s vital to our nation’s security and prosperity that we bring more women into STEM fields—regardless of who is in the White House,” Anid concludes.

This op-ed is part of an NYIT thought-leadership campaign designed to help generate awareness and build reputation for the university on topics of national relevance. Read more op-eds by NYIT experts.