Why We Need More Women in STEM and How AI Could Help Us Get There

Select Curated Content on CogWorld includes articles published in venues outside our partner network yet written by our COGNITIVE WORLD think tank and contributor group members (100+ thought leaders, pioneers and experts on artificial intelligence). This article is valuable to our audience as it discusses the imperative of #womeninstem aligned with the #futureofwork.


SOURCE: View full article published in Entrepreneur by Mark Minevich

Though specialized STEM programs for girls are a step in the right direction, we need to make a leap. Here are four actionable ideas.

Recently, Dr. France A. Córdova, director of the National Science Foundation, gave a presentation at the U.S. Council on Competitiveness meeting in Washington, D.C. She holds an extraordinary record of accomplishment and has made a tremendous impact on academia and the U.S.'s scientific community. Córdova is also the youngest person — and first woman — to serve as Chief Scientist at NASA. Her journey began with her love for STEM. 

In some ways, the future of work is largely linked to STEM. Yet in this day and age, despite role models like Córdova, women continue to remain significantly underrepresented across the board in this industry. What’s more, the inevitable reality of an AI-integrated workforce is coming. 

According to recent research, women make up just 26 percent of those who hold computer- and math-related jobs. Moreover, data from UNESCO indicates that only 35 percent of women go into STEM, of which a mere 3 percent decided to pursue fields like IT. And when it comes to computer science degrees in the U.S., only 18 percent of them are earned by female college graduates. 

Interestingly, in Eastern Europe, more women tend to pursue STEM. About 74 percent of women occupy…

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About Mark Minevich
Digital Cognitive Strategist, Artificial Intelligence expert, Venture Capitalist, Innovation CTO, Author & Columnist

Mark is Principal founder of Going Global Ventures, is a Guest Writer at Entrepreneur, and is a COGNITIVE WORLD think tank and contributor member (among other endeavors noted on Mark’s LinkedIn Profile).