Girls and Engineering: 5 Ways to Spark Their Interest | Extended Notes

Closing Gender Gaps in STEM Fields

Did you know that women only make up 13% of total engineers worldwide? Women are significantly underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), with the largest gap in computing and engineering. And although the number of female engineers has increased by 30% since 1970, women continue to represent a small fraction of engineers.

How can educators help close the gender gap in engineering?

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is designed to encourage girls to pursue a career in engineering. Throughout the day, girls attend events and workshops to explore how engineering impacts the world, learn about engineering careers and meet women engineers who can spark their interest in the field. In order to make a significant impact, girls must be exposed to engineering in ways that tap into their interests and unique skills. Here are 5 simple tips from DiscoverE to spark girls’ interest in engineering year round.

• Watch the Bring It Out videos to get ideas on how to spark a connection between girls and engineering.
• Provide engineering activities. DiscoverE has a library of activities that range from 10 minutes to two hours.
• Show them engineering in action. Allow girls to see engineering firsthand with engaging videos that showcase real kids doing engineering.
• Introduce girls to an engineer. Invite a female engineer into your program to talk about her job and why it’s important for more girls to become engineers.
• Bring them to an engineering event. Companies and universities host events year round to engage girls in engineering. Check out DiscoverE's event calendar to find an event near you.

To learn more about Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, visit www.discovere.org.