Research Released Today Shows Girls' Underrepresentation In STEM Careers Is Driven By A Lack Of Confidence

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On the International Day of the Girl, Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc. (ROX) reveals new findings from a national survey of more than 10,000 girls. The findings from this new report, entitled Girls, STEM and Careers: Decoding Girls' Futures in an Age of Social Media, were released today at Intuit Headquarters in Mountain View, CA as part of this year's International Day of the Girl celebration.

"The revelations contained in this research study effectively reframe the conversation and highlight the opportunities ahead as we empower the next generation of women leaders to take their seat at the table," said Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit. "In a world where an understanding of STEM is quickly becoming table stakes, building confidence and capability in girls that their contributions measure up and matter is critical to their individual and our collective success. At Intuit, we have benefited greatly from talented women leading our company at every level, from the board room to our front lines, and we are champions of the important work that Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX) is driving to increase the pipeline of interested and capable girls in pursuit of their dreams."

Made possible with support from Battelle, the Girls, STEM and Careers Impact Report provides a deeper understanding of behaviors, thoughts and perceptions of a national sample of fifth through twelfth grade girls.

"Reaching today's girls means hearing their voices," said Dr. Aimee Kennedy, Senior Vice President of Education and Philanthropy at Battelle. "Those voices come through loud and clear in this report, and anyone who supports young women, as a parent, educator or mentor, should read it."

Research findings include:

• Girls' interest in pursuing a career in math and/or science increases 16 percent from fifth to ninth grade, however, during these years there is also a 15 percent decline in girls' perceived abilities in math and science. Additionally, overall confidence declines as girls get older.
• While 73 percent of girls believe they are good at math and/or science, this number declines to less than half for Hispanic girls, and only 56 percent of Asian girls. This is in contrast to 77 percent of white/Caucasian girls and 72 percent of black/African American girls.
• More than 42 percent of girls believe that there are certain jobs that are better for men than women. Additionally, one in three girls believe that boys are encouraged more than girls in the areas of math and science.

"When fifty percent of high school girls report that they are considering a career in a math and/or science field, we celebrate this as a sign that the national efforts to increase girls' interest in the STEM fields is having a positive impact. However, when nearly the same percentage of girls do not believe they are smart enough for their dream job, we recognize that we need to augment our efforts to support girls personally and academically," said Dr. Lisa Hinkelman, ROX Founder and Executive Director and principal researcher of The Girls' Index.

The full Girls, STEM and Careers Impact Report is available at https://rulingourexperiences.com/impactreports.

Methodology
The Girls' Indextm: New Insights into the Complex World of Today's Girls examines the thoughts, behaviors, attitudes and perceptions of 10,678 girls in fifth-12th grade in the United States using data from school-based surveys. It was developed by ROX and administered by school administrators throughout 2016-17. Secondary analysis was performed on The Girls' Indextm data to provide findings for the Girls, STEM and Careers: Decoding Girls' Futures in an Age of Social Media impact report. For additional study outcomes, access the full Girls' Indextm report at http://bit.ly/thegirlsindexreport.

About Ruling Our eXperiences: Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc. (ROX) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization headquartered in Columbus, OH. Emerging from a 2006-2011 faculty research study at The Ohio State University, the mission of ROX is to create generations of confident girls who can control their own relationships, experiences and decisions. ROX utilizes research and evidence-based programming to simultaneously impact girls, educate and support the adult influencers in girls' lives and improve the societal conditions that have the potential to negatively impact girls. For more information about ROX, visit www.rulingourexperiences.org. 

About Dr. Lisa Hinkelman: Lisa Hinkelman, Ph.D. is the founder and executive director of Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc. (ROX). She is a counselor, educator, researcher and author of the award-winning book, 'Girls Without Limits: Helping Girls Achieve Healthy Relationships, Academic Success and Interpersonal Strength'. Dr. Hinkelman's work for the past decade has focused on the critical issues impacting girls and how schools, parents and educators can effectively support and encourage girls' interpersonal, educational and career growth. Previously, as a Counselor Education faculty member at The Ohio State University, Dr. Hinkelman's teaching and scholarly research focused on social and emotional learning, non-academic barriers that impact learning and girls' self-concept development. She was selected as a Nominated Changemaker for The White House United State of Women and is a Draper, Richards, Kaplan Social Entrepreneur Fellow.

About Battelle: Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Battelle also manages a range of successful projects bringing quality STEM education to students including the Ohio STEM Learning Network, Tennessee STEM Innovation Network and the national STEMx network. Headquartered in Columbus, OH since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences and energy and environmental industries. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.

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Contact: Megan Wholey, 708-814-0004, [email protected]

SOURCE Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc.