Women represent 35.0% of the US STEM workforce (52.0% in biological sciences vs. 16.1% in engineering), earning 38.5% of all STEM Bachelor’s degrees, while the STEM gender wage gap hovers at 84.0% ($82k vs. $98k) and female founders receive just 2.1% of VC funding. While 45% of women leave tech careers within 5-7 years due to workplace isolation, targeted mentorship programs increase college STEM persistence by 3.2x. The figures below come from empirical research published by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. BLS, NCES IPEDS, Pew Research, PitchBook-NVCA, and Harvard Business Review.
TL;DR
- Women represent 35.0% of the total US STEM workforce (up from 8% in 1970) (NSF NCSES)
- Women hold 16.1% of engineering jobs and 26.0% of professional computing occupations (U.S. BLS)
- Biological and medical sciences have achieved gender parity with women holding 52.0% of roles
- Women earn 38.5% of all undergraduate Bachelor’s degrees awarded across all STEM fields (NCES)
- Women earn 24.0% of engineering degrees and 22.3% of Computer Science degrees in the US
- The median STEM gender wage gap is 84.0% (women earn $82,000 vs. $98,000 for men) (Pew)
- 45.0% of women in tech and engineering leave the field within 5 to 7 years (‘The Leaky Pipeline’)
- 68.0% of women who leave tech careers cite hostile workplace cultures and lack of promotion pathways
- Women hold only 18.5% of VP and C-Suite executive leadership roles in Fortune 500 tech companies
- All-female founded tech startups receive only 2.1% of total US venture capital funding (PitchBook)
- Mixed-gender founding teams receive 18.2% of total venture capital investment dollars
- Women represent 13.0% of all named inventors on patented IP filed with the USPTO
- Girls participating in structured STEM mentoring are 3.2x more likely to persist in college STEM majors
1. Workforce Participation: 35% STEM Share and Field Disparities
Long-term educational access has substantially expanded women’s representation across scientific and medical fields. The National Science Foundation records women holding 35.0% of all US STEM jobs.
Sharp occupational bifurcation: biological sciences achieved gender parity at 52.0% women (NSF), while computing lags at 26.0% and engineering remains heavily male-dominated at just 16.1% (U.S. BLS).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Women share of total science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce in the United States | 35.0% of all STEM workers (up from 8% in 1970) | National Science Foundation (NSF NCSES Diversity & STEM Report) |
| Women share of professional engineering and architectural occupations in the US labor force | 16.1% of engineers and architects | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS) |
| Women share of computer and mathematical science occupations (software engineers, data scientists) | 26.0% of computing professionals | U.S. BLS / NSF NCSES Data |
| Women share of life sciences, biological, and medical science occupations | 48.0% to 52.0% of biological scientists (gender parity achieved) | NSF NCSES STEM Workforce Report |
Computer science degree diversity connects to our computer science education statistics. Source: NSF NCSES Diversity and STEM Report.
2. Academic Degree Pipeline: 38.5% STEM Grads vs. 24% Engineering
Undergraduate degree completion patterns establish the foundational talent pipeline feeding technical industries. NCES IPEDS data confirms women earn 38.5% of total STEM Bachelor’s degrees.
Discipline-specific enrollment: women earn 62.4% of biological science degrees, but comprise only 24.0% of engineering graduates (ASEE) and 22.3% of computer science graduates.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Women share of undergraduate Bachelor’s degrees awarded across all STEM fields combined in the US | 38.5% of total STEM Bachelor’s degrees | National Center for Education Statistics (NCES IPEDS) |
| Women share of engineering Bachelor’s degrees awarded annually (Mechanical, Electrical, Civil) | 24.0% of engineering degrees | American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) |
| Women share of Computer Science Bachelor’s degrees awarded in the United States | 22.3% of CS degrees (vs 37% in 1984) | NSF NCSES / NCES IPEDS Data |
| Women share of Biological and Agricultural Science Bachelor’s degrees | 62.4% of biological science degrees | NCES Condition of Education |
Postsecondary college enrollment trends connect to our college enrollment statistics. Source: NCES IPEDS STEM Degrees.
3. The Compensation Gap: 84% Median Pay and Senior Tier Disparities
Structural wage gaps in scientific occupations persist despite identical formal educational qualifications. Pew Research and Census data show women in STEM earn 84.0% of men’s earnings ($82k vs $98k).
Senior penalty widens: the pay gap expands to 18.0% to 22.0% in senior engineering leadership tiers (Hired), while unadjusted starting salary offers show an immediate 7.5% disparity (AAUW).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Gender wage gap in STEM occupations: median annual earnings of women in STEM vs. men in STEM | Women earn 84.0% of men’s median STEM earnings ($82k vs $98k) | Pew Research Center / U.S. Census Bureau |
| Annual STEM wage gap disparity in specialized computing and executive engineering leadership roles | 18.0% to 22.0% pay gap in senior tech tiers | Hired State of Software Salaries |
| Women in STEM with identical education and experience holding lower starting salary offers | 7.5% unadjusted starting salary gap | AAUW (American Association of University Women) |
Developer industry salary baselines connect to our software developer salary statistics. Source: Pew Research Center.
4. The Leaky Pipeline: 45% Tech Departure and 18.5% C-Suite Share
Mid-career retention failures severely deplete executive diversity across enterprise technology hierarchies. Harvard Business Review (Athena Factor) documents a 45.0% 5-to-7 year STEM attrition rate.
Workplace culture friction: 68.0% of departing women cite unsupportive workplace cultures and isolation (AnitaB.org), leaving women in only 18.5% of Fortune 500 tech C-Suite roles (McKinsey).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Women in engineering and tech roles who leave their STEM professions within 5 to 7 years (the ‘Leaky Pipeline’) | 45.0% departure rate (vs 17% in other professions) | Harvard Business Review (Hewlett et al. Athena Factor Study) |
| Women in tech citing hostile workplace culture, lack of mentorship, and isolation as primary reason for quitting | 68.0% cite workplace culture barriers | AnitaB.org Top Companies for Women Technologists |
| Women holding senior VP and C-Suite executive leadership positions in Fortune 500 tech companies | 18.5% of tech executive roles | McKinsey & Company Women in the Workplace |
Workplace burnout trends connect to our workplace burnout statistics. Source: Harvard Business Review (Athena Factor).
5. Venture Capital Allocation: The 2.1% Female Founder Reality
Venture capital financing mechanisms exhibit extreme demographic concentration in technical entrepreneurship. PitchBook-NVCA data confirms all-female founder teams receive only 2.1% of VC capital.
Capital gatekeeping: mixed-gender teams capture 18.2%, while all-male teams absorb 79.7% of funding, reflecting a venture ecosystem where only 16.1% of investment General Partners are women (All Raise).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Venture capital funding allocated to all-female founded STEM and technology startup teams | Only 2.1% of total US venture capital funding | PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor |
| Venture capital funding allocated to mixed-gender founding teams (at least one female founder) | 18.2% of total venture capital funding | PitchBook NVCA Report |
| Women representation among decision-making Venture Capital General Partners (GPs) | 16.1% of VC partners | All Raise Annual VC Diversity Index |
AI startup financing dynamics connect to our cloud cost statistics. Source: PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor.
6. Innovation Output: 13% Patent Share and 3.2x Mentoring Multiplier
Formal intellectual property generation and peer-reviewed authorship reflect steady incremental expansion. The USPTO reports women account for 13.0% of named patent inventors.
Research leadership grows: women represent 33.0% of lead authors on global peer-reviewed papers (UNESCO), while targeted K-12 STEM mentoring boosts college STEM persistence by 3.2x (NGCP).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global share of scientific research papers published where the lead primary author is a woman | 33.0% of global peer-reviewed papers | UNESCO Science Report / Nature Index |
| Women representation on patented inventions filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) | 13.0% of patent inventor names | USPTO Progress and Potential Report |
| High school girls participating in targeted STEM mentoring programs entering college STEM majors | 3.2x higher likelihood of persisting in STEM | National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) |
Summary: Women in STEM by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Primary Source |
|---|---|---|
| Women share of US STEM workforce | 35.0% (up from 8% in 1970) | NSF NCSES Diversity Report |
| Women share of engineering occupations | 16.1% | U.S. BLS OEWS |
| Women share of computing occupations | 26.0% | U.S. BLS / NSF NCSES |
| Women share of biological sciences | 52.0% (gender parity) | NSF NCSES Report |
| Women share of all STEM Bachelor’s degrees | 38.5% | NCES IPEDS Data |
| Women share of engineering degrees | 24.0% | ASEE Engineering Survey |
| Women share of CS Bachelor’s degrees | 22.3% (vs 37% in 1984) | NSF NCSES / NCES |
| Gender wage gap in STEM fields | 84.0% (women $82k vs $98k) | Pew Research / Census |
| Women leaving STEM careers in 5-7 years | 45.0% (Leaky Pipeline) | HBR (Athena Factor) |
| Women citing workplace culture for quitting | 68.0% | AnitaB.org Report |
| Women in Fortune 500 tech C-Suite roles | 18.5% | McKinsey Women in Workplace |
| VC funding to all-female startup teams | 2.1% of total VC dollars | PitchBook-NVCA Monitor |
| VC funding to mixed-gender teams | 18.2% | PitchBook NVCA Report |
| Women lead authors in scientific papers | 33.0% | UNESCO / Nature Index |
| Women inventors on USPTO patents | 13.0% | USPTO Progress & Potential |
Methodology and Sources
The statistics in this report were compiled from biennial diversity tracking from the National Science Foundation (NSF NCSES), occupational datasets from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), degree completion surveys from the NCES IPEDS, compensation studies from Pew Research and AAUW, venture capital reporting from PitchBook-NVCA, and patent analyses from the USPTO.
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National Science Foundation (NSF NCSES): Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities (35% workforce share, 38.5% STEM degrees, sector breakdowns).
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: Architecture, Engineering & Computing (16.1% engineers, 26% computing share).
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National Center for Education Statistics (NCES IPEDS): Degrees Conferred in STEM Fields by Sex and Race (24% engineering grads, 22.3% CS grads).
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Pew Research Center & AAUW: Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity (84% wage gap, pay disparities).
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PitchBook-NVCA: Venture Monitor: Female Founder Funding and Capital Allocation (2.1% female founder VC, 18.2% mixed).
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Harvard Business Review (Hewlett et al.) & McKinsey: The Athena Factor: Reversing the Brain Drain in Science & Women in the Workplace (45% leaky pipeline, 18.5% C-Suite).
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Data watch: Women in STEM statistics reflect civilian labor force participation, degree completions, and academic research output across core Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science. Healthcare practitioner professions (nurses, physicians) are categorized separately.
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Last updated: August 2026. This roundup is updated quarterly as NSF diversity updates, BLS labor surveys, and PitchBook venture capital monitors are published.