PolicyBlog

According to a National Science Foundation study, men outnumber women 3 to 1 in all sectors of science and engineering careers in the U.S.  Not surprisingly, the disparity starts at an early age.  Two-thirds of young children – boys and girls – say they like science, but during middle school, differences in attitudes toward that subject begin to widen, according to Sociologists for Women in Society research.

In high school, girls take as many science courses and perform as well as boys, but many girls who take those advanced classes don’t continue to concentrate on science in college. Of course, this trend translates into fewer women pursuing careers in engineering and technology – and, the U.S. is not the only country with a shortage of women pursuing technology careers.

As a global company, Verizon Business needs engineers of both genders and all backgrounds. So, for the third year in a row, Verizon Business is participating in the National Engineers Week Foundation’s “Global Marathon, For, By and About Women”.  This 24-hour virtual event, which “follows the sun” through our planet’s work day, educates girls worldwide about opportunities in science and technology. The Marathon brings together speakers who discuss a variety of topics to raise awareness of women in technology using live Internet chats and teleconferences.

This year’s event, themed “Connecting Women to Engineer a Better Future; Because Dreams Need Doing”, begins at noon ET on March 11 with a kickoff by Leslie Jones, senior vice president and CIO of Motorola. Judy Spitz, Verizon Business’s senior vice president and chief information officer, wraps up with a one-hour session with 200 middle-school girls enrolled in a special New York City program to promote math and science. 

The Global Marathon provides a forum to share information about opportunities in science and engineering for women and, equally important, raises awareness of this critical issue. We hope you’ll join in.