Gender and Education Vol. 17, No. 4, October 2005, pp. 369–386 ISSN 0954–0253 (print)/ISSN 1360–0516 (online)/05/040369–18 © 2005 Taylor & Francis Ltd DOI: 10.1080/09540250500145072 Women and science careers: leaky pipeline or gender filter? Jacob Clark Blickenstaff * W estern W ashington University, USA Taylor and Francis Ltd CGEE114490.sgm 10.1080/09540250500145072 Gender & Education 0954-0253 (print)/0000-0000 (online) Original Article 2005 Taylor & Francis Ltd 17 4 0000002005 JacobClark Blickenstaff University of CaliforniaOne Shields Avenue DavisCaliforniaCA 95616USA 916-455-7434 jblicken@ucdavis.edu Women are under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors and careers in most industrialized countries around the world. This paper explores the broad array of explanations for the absence of women in STEM put forth in the literature of the last 30 years. It is argued that some proposed explanations are without merit and are in fact dangerous, while others do play a part in a complex interaction of factors. It is suggested that the very nature of science may contribute to the removal of women from the ‘pipeline’. Recommendations for reform in science education to address this problem are also provided. Introduction A metaphor frequently used to describe the fact that women are under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers is to propose a ‘leaky pipeline’ carrying students from secondary school through university and on to a job in STEM. This pipeline leaks students at various stages: students who express interest in science careers sometimes change their minds when applying to colleges and universities and select other areas of study. Others begin their post-secondary education in a STEM program, but change majors before graduation. Finally, some students leave the pipeline after graduating with a STEM degree when they select another field as a career. One interesting feature of these leaks is that women leak out more than men do. The effect of differential leaking is to create a sex-based filter that removes one sex from the stream and leaves the other to arrive at the end of the pipe- line. No one in a position of power along the pipeline has consciously decided to filter women out of the STEM stream, but the cumulative effect of many separate but related factors results in the sex imbalance in STEM that is observed today. There is no dispute that women are under represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors and careers 1 (NCES, 2001). Cronin * Western Washington University, 516 High St., Bellingham, WA, 98225, USA. Email: jacob.blickenstaff@www.edu