Report on Gender Disparity in Utah’s STEM Workforce and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction and Key Findings

A recent report issued by Utah State University’s Utah Women and Leadership Project details the state of female participation in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) workforce. While the findings indicate progress, they also highlight a persistent and significant gender disparity that requires focused attention to align with global development objectives.

• The report documents a notable increase in women’s participation in Utah’s STEM sector over the past decade.
• Despite this growth, a substantial gap remains when compared to male counterparts and national industry growth metrics.
• This disparity has direct implications for achieving several key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Statistical Overview

The primary data from the report illustrates both progress and the remaining challenges:

• Women’s participation in the STEM workforce in Utah increased from 17.1% in 2015 to 24% in 2023.
• This positive trend, however, is insufficient to close the existing gender gap and indicates that Utah lags behind broader growth patterns observed nationwide.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The report’s findings are critically relevant to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The gender gap in STEM directly impacts progress toward goals related to equality, education, economic growth, and innovation.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls is central to the issue. The current statistics represent a significant challenge to meeting the targets of SDG 5.

• Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in economic life. The 24% participation rate demonstrates that equal representation in the vital STEM sector has not yet been achieved.
• Closing this gap is fundamental to female economic empowerment and ensuring women are co-creators of technological and scientific advancements.

SDG 4: Quality Education

The foundation of a career in STEM is education. The workforce disparity is often a reflection of earlier disparities in educational pathways.

• Target 4.5: Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training. To address the workforce gap, efforts must begin with ensuring girls and young women are encouraged and supported in pursuing STEM subjects throughout their education.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

STEM fields are primary drivers of economic growth. Ensuring equitable access to these high-value jobs is essential for inclusive and sustainable prosperity.

• Target 8.5: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value. Increasing female participation in the STEM workforce contributes directly to more inclusive economic growth for the state of Utah.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Diversity is a catalyst for innovation. A homogenous workforce risks limiting perspective and the potential for breakthrough solutions.

• Fostering a more inclusive STEM sector by increasing the number of women is critical for driving the innovation needed to build resilient infrastructure and promote sustainable industrialization, as outlined in SDG 9.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The report from Utah State University confirms that while Utah has made measurable progress in increasing women’s participation in STEM, a significant disparity persists. This gap hinders the state’s potential for innovation and inclusive growth and falls short of the principles outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.

1. Strengthen Educational Pipelines: Enhance and fund programs that encourage girls to pursue STEM subjects from primary school through higher education, directly addressing the foundations of SDG 4.
2. Promote Equitable Workplace Policies: Businesses and state entities should actively implement policies focused on recruitment, retention, mentorship, and equal pay for women in STEM fields to advance the objectives of SDG 5 and SDG 8.
3. Continuous Monitoring and Reporting: Maintain rigorous tracking of gender participation rates in STEM, using the SDGs as a framework to benchmark progress and identify areas for further intervention.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article primarily addresses issues related to gender equality in the professional sphere, specifically within the technology and science sectors. Based on this focus, the following SDGs are relevant:

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  This is the most direct SDG connected to the article. The core issue discussed is the “marked gender disparity” in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) workforce in Utah. The entire report mentioned in the article aims to track and understand the gap between men and women in these professional fields.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article focuses on women’s participation in the “STEM workforce.” This relates to SDG 8’s goal of achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all. The disparity highlighted means that a segment of the population (women) does not have equal participation in these high-growth economic sectors.

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  While the article focuses on the workforce, participation in STEM fields is a direct outcome of the educational pipeline. The mention of “STEM educators” in an image caption further links the issue to the education system that prepares individuals for these careers. Addressing the workforce gap inherently involves ensuring women have equal access to and encouragement in quality STEM education from an early age through higher education.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

The article’s content points to several specific targets within the identified SDGs:

1. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

   The article directly addresses this target by focusing on the low participation of women in the “economic life” of Utah, specifically within the STEM industries. The report’s finding that women’s participation is only 24% indicates that their “full and effective participation” has not yet been achieved.

2. Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value.

   The discussion of bridging the “marked gender disparity” in the STEM workforce aligns with this target’s goal of achieving full employment for all women and men. The underrepresentation of women in these key industries signifies an inequality in employment opportunities.

3. Target 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training…

   The gender gap in the STEM workforce, as described in the article, is often a result of gender disparities in education and training for these fields. To increase women’s participation in the STEM workforce to a level of parity, it is necessary to first eliminate any gender disparities in STEM education, which is the essence of this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article provides a clear, quantifiable indicator for measuring progress:

• Indicator: Percentage of women’s participation in the STEM workforce.

  This indicator is explicitly mentioned and quantified in the article. It serves as a direct measure for the targets identified. The article states, “Women’s participation in STEM fields in Utah has increased from 17.1% in 2015 to 24% in 2023.” This data allows for the tracking of progress over time. It is a specific application of official indicators such as Indicator 5.5.2 (Proportion of women in managerial positions), adapted to the context of the entire STEM workforce, and serves as a parity index relevant to Indicator 4.5.1.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: stgeorgeutah.com