Report

Women made up 51% of the total labor force with at least a bachelor’s degree (college-educated labor force) in 2021 (figure 6-1). Similar to the overall STEM workforce (figure 2-3), women represent a smaller proportion than men of the college-educated workforce in S&E occupations—29% were women (figure 6-1). The distribution of women among the S&E occupations is uneven in the college-educated labor force. In 2021, 61% of social and related scientists were women, as were 46% of biological, agricultural, and other life scientists, 33% of physical and related scientists, 26% of computer and mathematical scientists, and 16% of engineers. Compared with men, a greater share of college-educated workers in S&E-related occupations and non-S&E occupations were women (58% and 54%, respectively) in 2021.

In 2021, 10% of the college-educated workforce were Hispanic, 8% were Black, and 0.2% were American Indian or Alaska Native (figure 6-2). Collectively, these underrepresented minorities constituted 14% of the college-educated workforce in S&E occupations, 17% of those in S&E-related occupations, and 20% of those in non-S&E occupations.

Within S&E occupations, a total of 18% of social and related scientists were Black, Hispanic, or American Indian or Alaska Native, and 12% of physical and related scientists and engineers were made up of these underrepresented groups (figure 6-3). The representation of Black workers varied little among the S&E occupations. Hispanic workers were highly represented among social and related scientists, making up 11% of this group. American Indian or Alaska Native individuals were less than 0.5% of the workers in any S&E occupation.

Among the employed college-educated workforce, 12% reported at least one disability in 2021 (figure 6-4). Although 13% of college-educated workers in non-S&E occupations had at least one disability, a smaller proportion of workers in S&E and S&E-related occupations reported having at least one disability (11% and 10%, respectively). Among those in S&E occupations, rates of disability were similar across the major occupation groups.

Among college-educated workers employed in S&E occupations in 2021, 13% of women and 7% of men worked part time (less than 35 hours per week) (figure 6-5). Among computer and mathematical scientists and engineers, women’s part-time employment rate was higher than that of men. The distribution of part-time work across the S&E occupations is uneven. A greater proportion of social and related scientists worked part time (30% among women and 27% among men) than did any other occupation group. Fewer engineers and computer and mathematical scientists worked part time: 8%–9% among women and 4%–5% among men. The only significant difference between men and women was among engineers and computer and mathematical scientists. In S&E-related occupations, a greater proportion of college-educated women (20%) than men (11%) worked part time.

To make comparisons among racial and ethnic groups, part-time employment in S&E occupations among college-educated U.S. workers is presented based on two broad groups. The first group is the underrepresented minority group, which includes Hispanic, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native workers. The second group consists of Whites, Asians, and those in the “other” category. Among college-educated workers employed in S&E occupations in 2021, 8% of each of these two broad groups were employed part time (figure 6-6). Furthermore, only among engineers was there a difference between these two broad groups among the S&E occupations: 3% of engineers in the underrepresented minority group worked part time, compared with 6% of engineers in the counterpart group. These two broad groups of college-educated workers also had similar rates of part-time employment in S&E-related occupations.

Among college-educated workers employed in S&E occupations in 2021, 11% with at least one disability worked part time, whereas 8% with no disability worked part time (figure 6-7). Although a similar pattern occurred among workers in S&E-related occupations, this difference was not statistically significant. Part-time employment was higher among engineers with at least one disability (12%) than among those without a disability (5%), but there were no statistically significant differences by disability in the other S&E occupation groups.

Among the college-educated workforce employed part time in S&E occupations in 2021, similar proportions of those with at least one disability (27%) and those without a disability (28%) reported wanting to work full time (figure 6-8). In contrast, among those in S&E-related occupations, persons with a disability who worked part time reported wanting to work full time at about twice the rate (28%) of those without a disability (15%).