UNIVERSITY/INDUSTRY LED TRANSPORTATION FOCUSED WEEKEND OUTREACH PROGRAMS FOR 7TH-12TH GRADE GIRLS A CONTEXT FOCUSED FRAMEWORK

摘要

The percentage of women age 16 and older in the U.S. workforce has steadily increased from 30 percent in 1950 to about 46.5 percent in 2008. Despite this increasing presence in the workforce in general, women remain under-represented in engineering and the transportation industry. In 2008, only 10.4 percent of all civil engineers in the United States were women. In the category of transportation and material-moving occupations, which includes both white and blue collar jobs, the percentage of full-time employed female workers totaled only 13 percent in 2008. This low percentage is alarming and as a nation, the transportation industry is missing out on a talented pool. Perhaps part of the reason that this percentage is so low is that women are not aware of how transportation impacts society lives. Prevalent research supports this as in a survey of the general public, many do not view STEM careers as those that directly benefit society. Additionally, many studies show that women are attracted to careers that can improve society, including the quality of people's lives. Transportation impacts the quality of everyone's life and since many transportation careers require science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), grouping STEM and transportation education together makes sense. This transportation social context for STEM education also has international exposure.