STEM Equity
Diversity in Engineering Severely Lagging
While the racial and ethnic makeup of engineering students and
professionals has shifted over the last 10 years, progress toward
equity has been slow for black and Latinx engineers. In fact, at the
current pace of progress, it will take 256 more years to achieve
equity for black professionals in engineering if the rate of
completion remains the same. That’s one of the findings of a study
released this week focused on diversity in engineering, both in
education and in the workplace.
The report, Mission
Not Accomplished: Unequal Opportunities and Outcomes for Black and
Latinx Engineers, from the Georgetown University Center on
Education and the Workforce, noted that between 2009 and 2019, the
ethnic/racial makeup of students graduating with engineering degrees
shifted considerably. But not for black students. Between 2009 and
2019, the percentage of white students graduating with bachelor’s
degrees in engineering dropped 16 points, from 82% of the total to
66%. Te greatest gains went to Latinx students, whose percentage
climbed from 3% to 13% of the total recipients of bachelor’s
degrees in engineering. Asian/Pacific Islander representation grew
two points, to 13%. But black students stayed the same at 4% from
2009 to 2019. (The remainder was in the “other” category, which
wasn’t comparable between 2009 and 2019 as the definition of other
changed. In 2019, “other” included multiracial students.)
According to the report: “Part of this slow progress is because of
different rates of access to college. Despite black/African American
and Latinx students steadily increasing their college-going rate over
the past 50 years, they still lag behind white and Asian students.
When black/African American and Latinx students go to college, they
are less likely than white or Asian students to attend a college that
has an engineering program. Also, black/African American and Latinx
students who earn a bachelor’s degree are slightly less likely to
earn a degree in engineering. In 1990, 3.5% and 5.9% of black/African
American and Latinx bachelor degree completers, respectively, earned
a degree in engineering. Today it is just 2.6% and 5%, respectively.
For white students, the reverse is true: They are slightly more
likely to earn an engineering degree (5.5% in 1990 compared to 6.3%
today).”
Once in the workforce, the equity picture continues to be bleak.
Black and Latinx engineers earn considerably less than white and
Asian engineers. On average, Asian men earn the most in engineering,
at $105,000. White men earn $101,000 on average. Latinx men earn
$75,000. And black men earn $73,000.
Women make up only 16% of professional engineers, up just one
percentage point from 2009. Among women, Asians are the highest paid
by far, at $89,000. White women earn $79,000. Black women fare better
in the engineer field than black men, earning $75,000 on average.
Latinx women earn just $55,000 on average.
The average salary for all men in engineering is $98,000. The average
for women is $79,000.
The full report, Mission
Not Accomplished: Unequal Opportunities and Outcomes for Black and
Latinx Engineers, along with an interactive summary and a PDF
executive summary, are freely available on the
Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce site.
