The Beijing Platform for Action highlights education as a vital factor in advancing girls’ and women’s economic advancement. Yet only 35% of students enrolled in STEM related fields are women. Globally, women make up just 33% of researchers, are awarded less funding, and are promoted less often than men. In the private sector, women hold only 22% of AI roles and are just 28% of engineering graduates. This systemic exclusion is not just a gender issue—but a roadblock to progress.
AAUW empowers women and girls in science, technology, engineering and math through education, research and training. Our distinguished fellowships and grants programs award nearly $6 million annually across fields to women scholars and girl-focused community-based organizations, with a primary focus on STEM to increase representation and decrease the digital divide. This expert panel will discuss the critical need for strategies to increase empowerment of women in these key fields.
