Passage Two Workers with skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are among the most in demand and highest paid. They are seen as key drivers of problem-solving and economic growth, who will help shape the future. And most of them are men Nadya Fouad, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and her colleagues surveyed more than 5,000 women who had graduated from some of the top universities with engineering degrees over the past six decades. They found that 40 percent had either quit the field or never entered the profession in the first place. For more than two decades, women have accounted for about 20 percent of all engineering degrees. Yet fewer than 11 percent of all engineers are women. For the most part, Fouad found that What really pushed women out were uncivil workplace climates, the expectation to put in long hours of face time in the office, and the feeling that there was little opportunity to advance. Of the women who left the field less than five years ago, two-thirds pursued better opportunities in other fields—72 percent became either managers or executives. One-third said they stayed home with children because their companies didn’t settle work-life conflicts. It’s not about making the women more confident or anything. It’s really about the climate in the workplace, Fouad said. Even women who are staying consider leaving because they don’t have superior support. They don’t have training and development opportunities. And their colleagues are not civil to them, look down upon them, or talk behind their backs. The findings add weight and context to previous looks at why more women don’t go into or don’t stay in STEM fields. The previous studies tend to explain that women aren’t “naturally” smart enough, and that these are careers for men. Furthermore, Fouad makes recommendations to create a good work environment. The problem should be recognized that women aren’t leaving just because they want to spend time with their children. They’re leaving because of the difficult workplace climate and lack of opportunity to advance. The company, starting from the managers, is supposed to invest in professional training which is beneficial to the women’s development and advance.