While gender discrimination can occur in any industry, research suggests that women in tech fields are more likely to receive unequal treatment compared to their male counterparts. A 2018 report from Pew Research Center explores the prevalence of unfairness toward female employees in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) jobs.
Learn more about the Pew study and review the steps to take if you experience gender discrimination at work.
Support for gender diversity
Researchers asked study participants about whether they support gender diversity and found that:
- 61% of women in all professions categorize gender diversity as highly important
- 56% of women in STEM professions categorize gender diversity as highly important
- 49% of men in all professions categorize gender diversity as highly important
- 43% of men in STEM professions categorize gender diversity as highly important
About 20% of women in the study and 15% of men in the study reported that their STEM employers pay minimal attention to gender diversity. In addition, 13% of men reported too much attention to gender diversity in their workplace compared to just 5% of women.
Female underrepresentation in STEM
About 44% of study participants reported that they think fewer women work in STEM because they do not receive encouragement in childhood to pursue these roles. However, 48% of women also report that women face hiring discrimination and limited promotions by STEM employers. Just 29% of surveyed men share this belief.
If you think that unfair hiring or promotion practices have affected your career, you may have legal recourse. Women can file a lawsuit as well as a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
