Where are the Women in STEM?

Hi! You’ve been referred here because someone has asked a variant of the question “Where are all the women in STEM"?” Or perhaps your tweet about your young daughter thinking science may not be for girls has gone viral and you wanted some help. Or maybe you’re just looking for ways to get girls excited about tech. Welcome! You’ve come to the right place!

First, let’s get this out of the way. Women are everywhere in STEM, but we are not always given the same exposure, opportunities, or platforms as our male peers. This is even more true for women of color (WOC). So, I don’t entirely blame you for not knowing where we are. But let me assure you: we’re in the field/lab, we’re on TV, we have our own YouTube channels, we’re covering breaking science stories, we’re talking about our research on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, podcasts, the radio and we have books galore. And you should introduce your daughters to our content. Representation is so important - we can show her all her options for STEM careers.

Okay - where are they, then?

Glad you asked! Here’s a massive list of women in STEM who focus on space exploration, and here’s another, more general aggregated list of women in STEM (from TruSciPhi). Here’s a list of African American science bloggers, writers and twitter accounts from @DNLee5 that includes many women. And if you’re looking for Next Gen STEAM female influencers, check out STEAM Squad.

YouTube Are you looking for women in STEM on YouTube?

  • Here’s a list of 7 channels to subscribe to.

  • Here’s a much larger well organized list of women YouTubers in a plethora of amazing STEAM categories

  • Want more women in tech channels? Check these out!

Television Want some science TV shows to watch with women in STEM hosts?

Twitter Want to find women in STEM on Twitter?

Instagram Want to follow women in STEM on Instagram?

Podcasts Maybe podcasts are more your thing?

  • Brains On - A science podcast for kids and curious adults, hosted by Molly Bloom

  • Every Little Thing - This podcasts goes down rabbit holes to answer intriguing questions about every little thing - hosted by Flora Lichtman

  • Oologies - by Alie Ward - It’s funny, smart, and educational. She interviews different experts to learn about their unique field of science (aka their “oology”)

  • Talk Nerdy - by Cara Santa Maria - Awesome, casual, smart weekly podcast about interesting things with interesting people.

Sources

  • Diverse Sources - has a list of diverse sources you can contact to reference/quote, etc for your work on science, health and the environment.

Looking for STEM toys for girls?

  • Ages 3-7: Barbie’s Robotics Engineer Doll - This is Barbie’s Career of the Year doll and it comes with a robot and a laptop. (Available in 4 different skin tones/hair colors)

  • Ages 5+: Smart Gurlz Doll and Coding Toys - This doll comes with a segway-like robot which kids can program to learn coding skills and programming languages. (Available in 3 different skin tones)

  • Ages 6+: Goldieblox - This series of toys is a mix between crafts and construction, featuring Goldie, a kid engineer. (Goldie is white)

    • Ruby Rails - Ruby is Goldie’s code-cracking software engineer friend. (Ruby is a WOC)

  • Ages 8-10: Yellow Scope Chemistry Kit - This kit features 19 fun, colorful, and surprising chemistry experiments for kids.

  • Coding: Here’s a list of non-gendered toys for teaching young children to code.

  • Clothing/Attire/Jewelry: You can find a list of STEM products I love (for all ages) that I update every so often - here.

Looking for STEM-driven books featuring girls?

Want to help support these female authors? Leave book reviews on Amazon!

  • Ages 5+: Rosie Revere Engineer - this story-driven picture book features Rosie, who may seem quiet during the day, but at night she's a brilliant inventor of gizmos and gadgets who dreams of becoming a great engineer. Author Andrea Beaty has 2 other great books in this series (Ada Twist Scientist and Iggy Peck Architect). Buy all three here. (Rosie is white/female, Ada is a WOC, Iggy is white/male)

  • Ages 6-10: Ada Lace Books - Obviously, I’d recommend my Ada Lace Books - Ada is a 3rd grader who solves mysteries with robots and technology that she creates herself. There are 5 books in the series. (Ada is white/female, her best friend Nina is Asian/female, Mr. Peebles is a POC/male, Jack is POC/male, Milton is white/male.)

  • Ages 9-12: The Fourteenth Goldfish - Through the life of 11-year-old Ellie, author Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality . . . and possibility.

  • Ages 13+: The Calculated Series - This mystery series by engineer K.T. Lee features Dr. Ree Ryland, an engineering professor who loves her job and plays by the rules. Her life is reassuringly predictable – until an enemy hiding in plain sight decides her squeaky-clean reputation is the perfect cover to commit a crime.

  • Ages 14-18: Lab Girl - Geobiologist Hope Jahren has spent her life studying trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. Lab Girl is her revelatory treatise on plant life—but it is also a celebration of the lifelong curiosity, humility, and passion that drive every scientist.

  • All Ages:

    • Hidden Figures - The book the movie was based on. The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space.

    • Women in Science - This beautifully illustrated book highlights 50 notable women in STEM from the ancient to the modern world.

Looking for fellowship opportunities for Women in STEM?

  • Space Industry - The Brooke Owens Fellowship - this is for women and non-binary undergrad students who want to pursue a career in the space industry. It involves a paid summer internship, a match with a mentor in the industry, and a strong group of friends for life.

  • Coding - BlackGirlsCode offers scholarships and has various events around the United States that you can sign up for.

Help me improve this incomplete list - tweet your suggestions to @TheSpaceGal

Note: All Amazon products include referral links