It is no secret that particular populations of Americans, specifically minorities, women, and students from high-poverty schools and districts, are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) jobs (Presidents' Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2010). In the 21st century, technology drives innovation…

This article describes a reverse-engineering project where female students take a part a hair dryer--giving them an opportunity to see the many different kinds of engineering disciplines involved in making a hairdryer and that they work together. Mechanical Engineer, Lyn Gome, describes her experience leading a group of middle school girls through…

This study investigated 10 Israeli preschool teachers' reasons for choosing their profession and their perceptions of the teacher's role. A narrative approach was chosen because teachers' narratives can reveal their practical knowledge and the meanings they ascribe to their teaching. Data were subjected to content analysis and linguistic analysis.…

In the last several decades the image of the leaky pipeline has become commonplace as a metaphor for the loss of women and minorities to the physics enterprise at every stage, from high school to the most advanced positions in academia. At the 2007 Winter AAPT meeting in Seattle, however, the AAPT Committee on Women in Physics sponsored a session…

Provides statistical data of female representation in college, engineering majors, and engineering careers in Italy. Discusses the reasons for choosing engineering as a major field and the difficulties of the choice. (YP)

Looks at the careers of several women astronomers and how the opportunities, work, and self-images of women in astronomy have changed over the past two centuries, in conjunction with a discussion of the role of women's colleges. The women include Caroline Lucretia Herschel, Maria Mitchell, Williamina Fleming, Annie Cannon, Antonia Maury, Henrietta…

Encouraging students' interest in science has never been more important. Science plays a greater role in everyones lives than ever before, and students who have a solid foundation in science are prepared to pursue a wide range of opportunities in high school, college, and the workplace. Yet many students--particularly girls and students from…

This study explores how twenty-eight women graduates of a liberal arts college renegotiate personal and professional identities over a ten year period. Approximately half of these women entered college planning to pursue a career in medicine; the other half indicated some interest in the field of education. Each participant was interviewed six…

Research focused on two factors that may be influencing females in choice of careers. Factors are role-specific self-concept in science and self-perception in terms of stereotypical masculine and feminine characteristics. Logical ability and mathematics and science courses were also examined as factors in career choice. Results of data for 177…

Reflects on interviews with teachers who were asked reasons for choosing teaching as an occupation, their perceptions of teachers' major functions and purposes within the classroom, and how these coincide or conflict with their perceptions of self. (MLF)

The premise of this paper is that, although career choice implies options, issues of gender, race, and class may constrain the occupational choices an individual makes. Dominant career development theories are being reexamined for their appropriateness to diverse groups. This paper reviews the following theories: Ginzberg, Ginsburg, Axelrad, and…

This book offers helpful suggestions for fostering community involvement in career awareness and advocacy issues related to young girls and women. Direct service projects are addressed as well as advocacy projects involving schools and the communities in providing wider opportunities for young women. Recent research data is presented relating to…

The classic fairy tale, the "Wizard of Oz," may have some lessons for female teachers considering school administration. Just as Dorothy, female educators experience the same perplexing emotions, questioning the right career destiny, experiencing stormy situations that thrust them into career paths, exploring the unpredictable paths to their…

Many feel that more female role models are needed in the physical sciences to encourage young women to consider careers in chemistry and physics. This publication contains 28 profiles of women with careers in physics. Each one is written to show how each woman would spend a workday and some of the activities in which she might participate. Careers…

Data on 270 graduates of the Boston (Massachusetts) Children's Hospital's pediatric residency program during 1974-86 indicate an unusually high percentage (66 percent) in academic pediatrics careers, 31 percent in pediatrics practice, and 3 percent in other professional activities. The percentage of women increased steadily, from 30-39 percent,…