With only 13% of high school girls planning to pursue STEM careers and the fact that women hold about 25% of the STEM jobs (though we hold almost 50% of all jobs), we have a difficult challenge in changing young women's perceptions of STEM careers.

Why is STEM such an important issue for women?  There is a strong economic case for encouraging young women to pursue STEM occupations. The wage gap between women and men is much smaller in STEM -- with women earning 92 cents for every $1 earned by men, compared to 77 cents for other fields.  Plus, STEM jobs are growing faster than many other jobs, there's a shortage of workers, and STEM provides some of the highest paying jobs (by 33%). In addition, a diversity of experience and views make for better products and services.  

Whether you look at this as an economic, empowerment or advancement issue for women, it is clearly one that is receiving much attention.  So we thought that it would be valuable to share what a couple of experts have to say about this issue.

First we asked Edie Fraser, CEO of STEMconnector:  

What difference do you think mentoring makes in getting young women interested in STEM careers? 

"Mentorship for girls and young women all the way up the career path is an enormous differentiator to those choosing STEM careers and retaining their interest and engagement. Mentors are critical to encouraging and coaching toward obtaining and advancing with the best jobs in America. Million Women Mentors will make a difference! Julie Kantor, Chief Partnership Officer and leader in Million Women Mentors, says Mentorship is the new jury duty and I say Mentorship is the new feminism. We are creating a movement. This has to be all of our legacy as we build success in pay equity and equal representation in the STEM fields."

Million Women Mentors (MWM) is an initiative of STEMconnector and over 40 partners, such as Girls Scouts of America, Accenture, Walmart and AAUW. Through the engagement of over a million mentors, MWM aims to dramatically increase the percentage of young women pursuing STEM degrees and careers.  Click here for more information. 

For the perspective of someone within the STEM sectors, we turned to Dave Goldberg, Jerry S. Dobrovolny Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and co-founder of Big Beacon, a non-profit movement whose mission is to revolutionize engineering education. We asked Dave:  

Beyond mentoring, what fundamental changes need to happen in our education system to make STEM more appealing to young women?

In other words, the military origins of engineering education and its emphasis on challenge and struggle needs to be polarity managed with a culture that also cares and supports. The Big Beacon manifesto puts forward a set of values and change mechanisms consistent with this vision. This kind of love-based approach worked for King and Gandhi; why not for STEM education, too?"

Edie and Dave are just two of many leaders working to encourage more women to enter the STEM fields through mentorship and other initiatives. Check out the Inspiration and Resources section below and the sidebars for more on how you can get involved and be a mentor. 

If you are interested in giving back by supporting others as a mentor, there are hundreds of organizations from which to choose -- all doing great work. 

So where do you start?  First, think about what issues move you or passions that you have.  Now, think about what connections you have that are already involved as mentors or to organizations that do that kind of work.  After a little exploration, "Just Do It!" Jump in and give it a try.

Some of outstanding groups that utilize mentors in the STEM field are:  Girls Inc., Junior Achievement, Girls in Technology, and Year Up. Contact organizations in a field you're interested in or in your neighborhood to see if they have a volunteer mentor program.