“As the U.S. becomes more scientifically complex and its job market more technology-driven, the national need for a larger, more diverse, science-and computer-literate and skilled workforce becomes more acute.”

Welcome to the Collaborative for Gender Equity!

The Collaborative for Gender Equity in Emerging Technologies website is a resource developed by the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD) as part of a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Project, DUE 0703149. The two-year project takes a multi-faceted approach toward encouraging high-school girls to pursue careers in emerging technologies.

The project team is focused on dispelling myths about girls’ abilities in science and technology, providing the tools for local mentoring programs to take root, disseminating information about high-tech careers and the coursework needed to succeed in them, and fostering the development of a classroom culture conducive to gender equity.

Specific project activities include the development of an online mentoring program toolkit (found under Building Your Program), a series of workshops for mentoring program coordinators, and a facilitator-led online professional development course—Fostering Gender Equity in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Classroom—for high school faculty.

Myth:

Males are better at math and science than females.

Reality:

“Studies of brain structure and function, of hormonal modulation of performance, of human cognitive development, and of human evolution have not revealed significant biological differences between men and women in performing science and mathematics that can account for the lower representation of women in these fields.”
Source: Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering, National Academies Press, 2007.

Myth:

The quality of science and science education decreases in programs specifically designed to promote the participation of women.

Reality:

“From both the academic and the social points of view, quality of science is enhanced by a diversity of thinking styles. The conclusion is that by preserving the status quo, we miss substantial opportunities for advancement of science and engineering.”
Source: “Access and Merit: A Debate on Encouraging Women in Science & Engineering”
F. Mary Williams, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Myth:

Girls don’t like math.

Reality:

“Girls and boys who are confident in their math abilities tend to pick a science career based on their values more than on their skills, a study by two University of Michigan researchers suggests.”
Source: “University Of Michigan Study Helps Define Why Fewer Women Choose Math-based Careers,” Science Daily, May 26, 2003.

Myth:

Women have not traditionally (historically) participated in scientific, technological and mathematical pursuits.

Reality:

“Actually, how long have people been active in science? The answer is the same for both women and men— as long as we have been human. One of the defining marks of humanity is our ability to affect and predict our environment. Science—the creation of structure for our world; technology— the use of structure in our world; and mathematics—the common language of structure— all have been part of our human progress, through every step of our path to the present. Women and men together have researched and solved each emerging need.”
Source: 4,000 Years of Women in Science
A site created and maintained by astronomers Dr. Deborah Crocker at the University of Alabama and Dr. Sethanne Howard who retired from the US Naval Observatory.