Amid a few signs of recent progress towards more diversity in education and the workplace, underrepresentation persists. For example, women and minorities continue to take fewer high-level mathematics and science courses in high school; they still earn fewer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in science and engineering (S&E); and they remain less likely to be employed in S&E jobs than are white males.
Those are the conclusions of a new government report, Women, Minorities and Persons With Disabilities in Science and Engineering 1996 . Published by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the report reveals progress as well as signs of persistent underrepresentation:
"Women, minorities and persons with disabilities have historically been underrepresented in scientific and engineering occupations," the introduction to the NSF report notes. "Some progress has been made over the last several decades, especially in degrees to women, but there is still room for improvement."