Half of women working in science, technology, engineering, and math jobs say they've experienced gender discrimination at work, according to a new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. By comparison, 41 percent of women in non-STEM jobs reported experiencing gender discrimination at work.
The center surveyed 4,914 US adults, including 2,344 STEM workers.
Pew notes that the percentage of women who experience gender discrimination varies by field. It adds that women working in male-dominated STEM subfields were more likely to report discrimination. For instance, 74 percent of women in computer-science fields like as software development or data science — an area where women make up about a quarter of workers — say they have experienced gender discrimination.
"At a time when the STEM community has been renewing its commitment to diversity, this study reveals that men and women in STEM continue to experience the workplace quite differently," lead author Cary Funk, director of science research at the Pew Research Center, says in a statement.
In addition, the Pew survey found that 62 percent of black STEM workers reported experiencing racial discrimination at work, as compared to 44 percent of Asian and 42 percent of Hispanic STEM workers.