Statistics About Girls, Non-Traditional Careers, and STEM

Job Market

Non-traditional occupations for women are defined as any job in which women comprise 25% or less of the total employed. (U.S. Dept. of Labor)

Women constitute 45% of the workforce in the U.S., but hold just 12% of science and engineering jobs in business and industry. (National Council for Research on Women, Balancing The Equation: Where are Women & Girls in Science, Engineering & Technology? 2001)

Of the nearly 700,000 active pilots in the United States, less than 6% are women. (Federal Aviation Administration, 2000)

Only 20% of Information Technology professionals are women. (American Association of University Women (AAUW) “Tech-Savvy: Educating Girls in the New Computer Age” 2000)

Nearly 75% of tomorrow's jobs will require use of computers, while fewer than 33% of participants in computer courses and related activities are girls. (U.S. Labor Statistics: JOBS 2000)

According to the Department of Labor, by 2008 women will increase their share of the labor force from 46% to 48%. Although the fastest labor force increase will be among Latinas and Asian American women, 49% and 46%, respectively, African American women will increase their participation by 21% and white women by 13%. (U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, 2000)