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40 Women in STEM Statistics for 2026

Published Date
Author Team Kahua

Without visibility and transparency, we can’t understand how far we’ve come, which is why we’ve pulled together these 40 women in STEM statistics. Technology and workplace culture advancements can only do so much in the face of #tradwife content and calls for women to stay at home.

During Women’s History Month or any other time, these statistics matter because they give us insight into how STEM industries have evolved to include and celebrate women — and where they still lag behind.

These trends affect construction and infrastructure in particular, where technology, engineering, and data-driven positions play a critical role in delivering complex capital programs.

This post covers statistics for women in STEM careers, education, and leadership. We’ll look at U.S. and global statistics, breakdowns for each of the STEM categories, and a focus on how women of color and other minorities fare in today’s STEM workforce.

  • Women in STEM Workforce Statistics (U.S.)
  • Women in Science Careers Statistics
  • Women in Technology Careers Statistics
  • Women in Engineering Careers Statistics
  • Women in Mathematics and Data Careers Statistics
  • Minority Women in STEM Statistics
  • Women in STEM Leadership Statistics
  • Global Women in STEM Statistics
  • How Organizations Can Build a More Inclusive STEM Future
  • Building the Future STEM Workforce
  • FAQ: Women in STEM Statistics

Women in STEM Workforce Statistics (U.S.)

Women have increased visibility in U.S. STEM classrooms and jobs over the past 50 years, especially as recruitment and attitudes have changed within homes, the education system, and the workforce. The increased use of computers in all aspects of U.S. work and the ubiquity of computers for youth has also inspired more women to work in STEM.

  1. Women make up about 35% of STEM jobs in the U.S. (Women in Tech Network)
  2. Although the balance of college-educated workers is roughly equal in the U.S., women only hold about 34% of U.S. science and engineering jobs. (National Girls Collaborative)
  3. Women are underrepresented in computing and engineering workforce roles, at 26% and 15% of total jobs, respectively. (National Girls Collaborative)
  4. Women lead U.S. STEM roles in healthcare, where they hold 75% of health-related jobs. (Pew Research Center)
  5. The share of women STEM workers has risen to 27% in 2019, a considerable jump in the U.S. compared to 8% reported by the 1970 U.S. Census. (U.S. Census Bureau)

Women in Science Careers Statistics

Opportunities for women in science careers, from laboratory science to healthcare, have grown. These tend to be the positions that attract more women.

Science careers still require mathematics and technology focuses for research and development. And, technical skills like coding and data analysis are key.

  1. Women scientists hold about 44% of jobs in the life and physical sciences in the U.S. (Women Tech Network)
  2. Some global workforces report that only 35% of physical science jobs are held by women. (Woman In Fusion)
  3. There was a 36% increase from 2010-2018 in the number of STEM research PhDs awarded in the U.S. (Women in Fusion). These degrees don’t seem to translate to the workforce or representations in education, however.
  4. Women make up less than one-third of published science authors in Canadian scientific journals. (Hennessey et al.)
  5. In the EU, women make up about 47% of science, mathematics, and computing PhD graduates. (European Data Journalism Network)

H2: Women in Technology Careers Statistics

Most careers are becoming technology-based, and most businesses appreciate when employees add coding, AI, and data skills to their resumes.

Technology-based careers like software development, AI and machine learning development, and information and communication technology (IT or ICT) are needed to support business needs across the board.

  1. Women hold about 35% of U.S. technology jobs in 2023. (Women in Tech Network)
  2. Of the major U.S. technology companies, Amazon has the highest percentage of women employees at 43%. Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft’s percentages sit between 33-37% of the workforce. (Women in Tech Network) 
  3. Women hold a smaller share of AI positions globally at 22%. (World Economic Forum) These data technology positions are growing across all sectors, including construction technology.
  4. Of all the engineering graduates, women make up 28%, with only 40% of those graduates in computer science. (World Economic Forum) As organizations rely more on technology, the job market for computer science positions continues to grow, while other engineering positions are in flux due to economic and market factors. 
  5. While tech graduation rates are rising globally, the number of women who hold tech jobs continues to lag behind the graduation rates. (Global Education News)

 Women in Engineering Careers Statistics

Engineering careers tend to bring cultural and organizational challenges for women, as work sites and even offices can be dominated by a “boy’s club” mentality.

Mentorship and representation, along with company policies like parental leave and flexible scheduling that support women in the workplace, can go a long way to combat traditional pressures on women engineers.

Women represent only 17% of civil engineering workers in the U.S., a critically underrepresented area that directly shapes how U.S. infrastructure is planned, built, and maintained. (NGCP)

  1. Women are more visibly represented in civil engineering leadership roles than in previous years. They hold 50% of the board of directors for the American Society of Civil Engineers. However, women still typically battle cultural challenges on work sites. (ASCE) Representation and active mentorship show a company’s willingness to diversify leadership.
  2. Women only represent 10.9% of the U.S. construction industry workforce, with less than 9% of women shaping construction culture through management positions. (AECORD) This shows that construction industry trends lag behind more than other areas.
  3. The number of women in construction has increased by 50% in the past decade in response to labor shortages and recruiting efforts. These numbers may also indicate a change in attitudes on the job site. (University of Minnesota)
  4. Only about 26.8% of women remain in engineering 11-15 years after graduating. This reflects a lower number of women at the mid-career stage who may be ready to advance to leadership positions. (Society of Women Engineers)

“At Kahua, when women in STEM are trusted to own outcomes and inform critical decisions, we build stronger systems, better serve our customers, and run a more resilient business.”

— Lana Berkhan, Revenue Accounting Manager

Women in Mathematics and Data Careers Statistics

Women are better represented in U.S. math higher education than in previous years. However, those statistics don’t necessarily transfer directly to women in mathematics or data careers.

One reason for this may be the lack of diverse educators in colleges and universities; although, other cultural factors may be at play. Mathematics and data-driven roles are increasingly central to construction and infrastructure projects that include cost forecasting, risk analysis, and performance tracking.

  1. Women hold about 27% of mathematics jobs in the U.S., but earn 35% of the math degrees. (Association for Women in Science) A drop this significant can indicate problems with either recruiting or retention in math fields.
  2. Globally, women hold between 15-22% of data science and analytics roles, depending on the study and job description. (BCG) Data science and analytics are critical to a construction company’s ability to track and forecast effectively across projects.
  3. It’s projected that over half of all new jobs in mathematics over the next decade are expected to be data scientists. This indicates the global need for data analytics skills across the workforce. (Bureau of Labor Statistics) Construction companies create and collect significant amounts of data on each project, and data scientists hold the keys to putting that data to work.
  4. Surveys report that more women than men leave STEM roles before age 35, and only 13% of women self-report as holding a management or advanced analytics position. (Business over Broadway) This represents a gap where women-led teams can bring diverse thinking and opinions to construction and large capital projects.
  5. Growing reliance on data analytics for decision-making and forecasting will increase the demand for STEM skills. This shows an opportunity to improve gender equity in the field through recruiting, mentoring, and retaining women in these fields. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Minority Women in STEM Statistics

Minority women are underrepresented in STEM, which presents an opportunity for STEM education, recruitment, advancement, and retention across all sectors. Active efforts from men and women leaders in construction and STEM are required to resolve this gap.

  1. Black, Latina, and Native American women make up less than 10% of the total STEM workforce. (National Girls Collaborative)
  2. Of women in the U.S. federal STEM workforce, only 14.6% are Black, 6.4% are Hispanic/Latinx, and 9.7% are Asian. Indigenous and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander representation presents a significant opportunity, with only 1% and 0.28% of women in the U.S. federal STEM workforce. (EEOC)
  3. While women of color are 15% of the U.S. adult population, only 5.7% of those women work as educators at 4-year U.S. universities. This lack of representation may signal a greater problem in the educational STEM pipeline. (Institute for Women’s Policy Research)
  4. Black STEM workers earn 78% of that of white STEM workers, while Hispanic STEM workers earn about 83% of the pay of their white counterparts. Overall, women make 74% of what men make in STEM positions, and racial and ethnic disparities affect these wages accordingly. (Pew Research)
  5. Women of color hold only 3% of lab leadership roles, compared with 64% held by white men. This trend is consistent across STEM leadership roles, with representation for minorities and people of color decreasing sharply as rank increases. (AWIS) In construction and infrastructure-related STEM roles, minority women continue to face compounded barriers to entry, advancement, and leadership representation.

Women in STEM Leadership Statistics

One way to close the gender gap is to improve their representation by promoting capable women to positions of executive leadership and giving them decision-making power.

It’s clear that mid-level STEM careers struggle to retain women. Corporate policies that support women can bridge those difficult times when women may otherwise need to drop out of the workforce.

  1. Five years after graduation, only 53% of women with STEM undergraduate degrees remain in the field, reducing the leadership pipeline even at early stages. (Congress.gov)

  2. While 1 in 4 C-suite roles is held by a woman, only 12% of C-suite roles in STEM industries are held by women. (World Economic Forum)

  3. Women increasingly hold board seats (27.3%) at large and mid-sized companies, but the number of women with executive decision-making power or strategic control lags behind. (IMD)

  4. In technology-related STEM industries, women hold only 18% of director-level and above leadership roles. (Women in STEM Network)

  5. That number only increases slightly for healthcare, a STEM-adjacent industry where only 25% of senior leadership roles are held by women. (Women in STEM Network)

Global Women in STEM Statistics

While not universally true, the U.S. is beginning to lag behind many other developed nations in the representation of women in STEM. Perhaps more research into the policies of Central Asian corporations that have found gender parity could improve these numbers for other countries.

  1. Women make up about 28% of the STEM workforce globally. (Society of Women Engineers)

  2. 35% of STEM graduates globally are women. (UNESCO)

  3. Of global STEM research jobs, women hold only 31%. (Society of Women Engineers)

  4. In G20 countries — 19 of the major advanced and emerging economies, including the EU and the African Union — only 22% of STEM jobs are held by women. (UNESCO)

  5. Regionally, Central Asia leads the world for women in STEM research at 50.8%. (Society of Women Engineers)

"Data gives us insight, but representation gives us perspective by ensuring diverse voices shape how we build solutions.

As a woman in Data Science at Kahua, I'm proud to be able to turn complex data into clarity for many customers, and to help shape the analytics product that guides smarter decisions across our industry.”

— Mary Grace Carr, Data Analytics Manager, Kahua

How Organizations Can Build a More Inclusive STEM Future

Improving workforce gender balances and diversity goes beyond recruiting, although that’s a step in the right direction. Understanding how company culture and policies affect (or can drive away) women STEM workers will help you shape your organization for more inclusivity.

  • Leadership Accountability Starts at the Top. Expectations around inclusion, advancement, and representation should be communicated, documented, and repeated consistently to become part of the company mindset.

  • Data-Driven Workforce Decisions. Organizations that track hiring, retention, and advancement data can identify gaps and measure progress over time.

  • Clear Career Pathways and Sponsorship. Build corporate programs that connect women with leadership in an informal capacity, which provides opportunities for women to learn and grow outside of their department.

  • Flexible, Modern Work Environments. Use technology-enabled collaboration, including project management tools to expand access and retention across STEM roles.

  • Long-Term Investment in the STEM Pipeline. Invest in education, early exposure, and sustained support of STEM initiatives and education to drive future representation.

  • Invest in modern construction technology platforms. Technology-driven environments increase tech exposure to departments or individuals, which supports a digital-first workplace and expansion into STEM roles.

Building the Future STEM Workforce

The women in STEM statistics show that while progress has been made, women's representation still lags behind men in STEM jobs. But we should interpret statistics like these as a signal of the opportunity in the industry, not the final result.

Leadership has a key role in correcting the gender gap by making cultural decisions and creating opportunities for women that don’t currently exist.

Technology-driven industries like construction and infrastructure are positioned to shape the future of STEM work with modern technology platforms. They already innovate how work is done and can define who does that work.

This can be done by leveraging data-driven decision-making from employee data, position, and succession metrics — along with the transparency and accountability that these companies are known for — for long-term change.

See how Kahua Infrastructure Industry Solutions supports technology-driven teams delivering complex capital programs across infrastructure, education, healthcare, and government.

FAQ: Women in STEM Statistics

What Percentage of STEM Jobs Are Held by Women in the U.S.?

Women hold about 35% (one-third) of the STEM jobs in the United States (Women in Tech Network), which is about 5% above the global average of 28%. (Society of Women Engineers)

Which STEM Fields Have the Highest and Lowest Representation of Women?

In the U.S., women hold about 44% of positions in life and physical sciences, which is the highest representation of women in STEM in the U.S. (Women Tech Network)

Construction, leadership positions, and civil engineering show the lowest numbers of women, where 10% of construction jobs, 12% of C-suite leaders (World Economic Forum), and 17% of civil engineers are women. (NGCP)

What Are the Biggest Barriers Facing Women in STEM Careers?

Women in STEM careers are about equal with their male counterparts up until mid-career levels, between 5-12 years of practice. (Society of Women Engineers) At this point, women tend to drop out of the workforce.

Possible factors affecting women at this level in STEM jobs include:

  • Inflexible work schedules
  • Lack of parental leave
  • Lack of child care
  • Low wages (compared to male counterparts)
  • Cultural “boys club” mentalities
  • Lack of mentorship
  • Lack of representation in leadership

How Has Women’s Representation in STEM Changed Over Time?

More represented in the STEM workforce than ever, women in construction roles have grown by 50% since 1970. The lack of women's representation in education and leadership positions has lagged, however, with tenured roles and C-suite executive roles filled half or less frequently than total positions.

Representation in life sciences, health care, and physical sciences, which are arguably more culturally female-coded, has increased and is close to parity at 44%. (Women Tech Network)