This bibliographic essay originally appeared in the March 2020 issue of Choice (volume 57 | number 7).
This essay highlights women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professions and identifies a body of related literature published within the past eleven years.1 Many of the resources covered here are intended to encourage women to enter STEM fields. The fifty-eight selected titles include background information and statistics on the contemporary workforce, as well as studies or surveys about STEM gender inequality that examine why women flourish within or leave STEM careers. Some of these resources explore the role of governments, society, and educational institutions, investigating how each contributes to the complex global problem of gender inequality in the STEM workforce. In many instances, the authors offer new insights or complementary information that was not previously available in older history books on STEM professions.
The essay is organized thematically into six sections, beginning with an overview. The overview discusses only those resources that focus on the problem of gender inequality in STEM occupations. The remaining titles are arranged for discussion under four domain-based headings: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Each of these thematic groups includes works about particular female STEM role models. The concluding summary offers recommendations on additional online resources.
Janet Ochs is coordinator of the SUNY Cortland Computer Applications Program; she obtained her MS degree in Computer Information Technology from Regis University. Jennifer Parker is discovery services librarian at SUNY Cortland Memorial Library; she received her MLIS degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Jeremy Pekarek is archivist & instructional services librarian at SUNY Cortland; he received his MSLIS degree from Syracuse University.