Women in the STEM Labor Market: Trajectories and Inclusion

• Grant number: 25/13932-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science
• Principal Investigator: Kelly Rosa Braghetto
• Grantee: Kelly Rosa Braghetto
• Host Institution: Instituto de Matemática e Estatística (IME). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo
• Associated research grant: 23/18026-8 - Center for Data Science in Public Statistics, AP.CCD

Abstract

While women have made significant strides in higher education and the labor market more broadly, in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), they continue to face substantial barriers. These challenges result in underrepresentation, greater wage disparities, and a tendency to transition out of these fields even after completing STEM education [Almeida, 2025]. In the world's major economies, women currently make up only 26% of the workforce in data and artificial intelligence, and just 12% in cloud computing. According to United Nations data, doubling women's participation in the tech workforce would not only create opportunities for decent and well-paying jobs, but could also increase GDP by up to E600 billion by 2027 [UN, 2024; UNDP, 2024].This undergraduate research project aims to investigate the inclusion and career trajectories of women in STEM fields, with a focus on graduates of degree and extension programs from USP and Insper. The research will combine primary data (collected through surveys) and secondary data (such as RAIS, Census, Cempre, among others) to identify patterns of retention and the obstacles these women face in the labor market. The project will be developed with support from technical staff at the SEADE Foundation and researchers from USP and Insper affiliated with the Center for Data Science for Public Statistics (CCDEP). The results are expected to inform public policies and institutional actions aimed at promoting gender equity in technological fields. (AU)