LONDON, March 23 (Xinhua) — Despite some gains for women and people of color, white males still hold most scientific and engineering positions across the United States, according to Nature, a respected science journal.
Meanwhile, people with disabilities remain underrepresented in the STEM workforce across the United States, according to an article published Wednesday by Nature on its website, citing a report by the US National Science Foundation.
Males represent nearly three-quarters of STEM workers, while whites make up two-thirds of male workers, according to the article.
The report found that although the proportions of jobs held by these groups increased in general between 2011 and 2021, they remained underrepresented in the country’s population.
Notably, bias or discrimination against people with disabilities, along with the continued lack of physical accessibility to some workplaces, can prevent scientists with disabilities from seeking or taking jobs in their fields, said Ponelin Swennor, director of the Center for Health Disability Research at Johns Hopkins University. Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.