As Greater Columbus grows and begins to prepare for an influx of construction, technology and engineering jobs, one group of women is sounding the alarm on the lack of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.

“This is a national crisis,” said Ayanna Howard, dean of the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University, during a Columbus Metropolitan Club discussion on Wednesday. “There’s a shortfall of the workforce that has STEM capabilities.”

Sheri Chaney Jones, founder and CEO of SureImpact and founder and president of Measurement Resources Company, moderated the discussion, which featured Tammy Wharton, president & CEO of Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland; Lori Gillett, CEO of CK Construction; and Howard.

The problem: Women aren’t represented in STEM fields

Though women account for just over half of the total workforce, they aren’t well represented in many high-earning fields, including STEM.

• Just 18% of STEM leaders are women

• 11% of construction jobs are filled by women

• 15% of engineers and architects are women

• 6% of welders are women

Chaney Jones cited a national survey by ROX, a national nonprofit that does programming, research and education focused on girls, that showed 46% of the more than 10,000 high school girls surveyed didn’t think they were smart enough for their dream jobs.

That survey also found that 70% of girls believe there are jobs that are better for men than women, and about one-third of women stay away from leadership because they don’t want people to think they’re bossy, Chaney Jones said.

“This is today,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do; this topic is extremely important.”

‘A national crisis’

There’s been a decline in overall high school graduation rates, Howard said, but when it comes to college, women outpace men, representing 56% of graduates.

However, in a good year, women represent 25% of STEM professionals, she said.

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If there isn’t an intentional focus on women in STEM, companies will not be able to fill their open jobs and grow, Howard said.

“The cars we like, the housing, the construction, if we don’t have the talent, we can’t build,” she said.

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The nation will fall behind other countries that are focusing on increasing the amount of women in STEM fields, she said.

Women do enter STEM fields are underpaid, discriminated against

On the first day of a woman’s STEM career, her earnings already average about $4,000 less annually than her male counterparts, Chaney Jones said.

Years later, when they are top researchers, they still make an average $6,000 per year less than men, she said.

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Chaney Jones also pointed out that only 2% of venture capital funds are invested in women-only startups, while 80% go to men-only startups.

“The statistics are staggering,” Gillett said. “If we don’t get this gap closed, women are going to look elsewhere for jobs.”

What are the solutions?

• Role Models: Research from Chaney Jones’ company, Measurement Resources Company, found one of the most important things that can be done to reduce underrepresentation is for young women to have role models in STEM.

• Intentionality: Wharton said there needs to be intentional work to fund causes that help women get into STEM fields.

• Getting women to the table: This often means reaching back and getting girls interested early, as a girl’s STEM identity is formed in third grade, Wharton said. “If we’re not feeding that pipeline early, it’s already diluted and we’re not going to get girls in there," Wharton said, adding that companies must recognize the value women bring.

What’s next?

Last year, the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland announced plans for a $16-million facility intended to attract more women to STEM careers.

The STEM Leadership Center & Maker Space will be located at Camp Ken-Jockety in Galloway, and is part of Girl Scouts of the USA's goal of putting 2.5 million girls in the STEM pipeline by 2025, The Dispatch reported in May 2022.

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Women in STEM: Growth in technology locally necessitates inclusion