Women have made major strides in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) over the decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, they made up 8% of STEM workers in 1970. Today, they make up 27% of STEM careers.

While the increase is impressive, women are still largely absent from the STEM workforce. Women of color are even less likely to hold careers in STEM. 

Part of the problem is that many girls simply don’t see themselves as good at STEM, according to Laine Powell, founder of Tech Sassy Girlz, a Florida non-profit empowering underrepresented middle and high school girls and women to pursue successful STEM careers. 

“Over the years, I have found that one of the largest hurdles young women face is a lack of confidence in their mathematical skills, a problem that can develop as early as elementary school,” she writes in the Orlando Sentinel.

Another problem is that girls lack female role models in STEM. Some non-profits are trying to solve this. SheCounts, for example, offers STEM resources to girls and also exposes them to stories about “successful Black women in the STEM fields,” according to Powell.

For girls who come from less privileged backgrounds, finding female role models in STEM can be even more difficult. There are a few easy ways adults can help solve this problem, according to Powell:

  • See if you can find a local STEM summer-camp program for girls in your community. Many universities offer these camps for girls in K-12.
  • Look on YouTube for videos from popular women in STEM. Some examples include Draw Curiosity and STEMinine. These videos can be a fun way to expose girls to STEM and give them strong female role models in STEM to look up to. 
  • Does your local community have a STEM nonprofit for girls and women in STEM? If so, encourage a girl you know to sign up.

Don’t have direct access to a STEM community for girls where you live? Check out Girl STEMinist, a virtual community that aims to unite girls who love STEM all over the world.