Women represent half of the country’s workforce, but makeup 24 percent of the workforce STEM fields.
Congressman Dan Kildee introduced legislation June 30 to help promote science, technology, engineering and math fields to women.
The Promoting Women in STEM Act would require certain existing state programs funded by the Carl Perkins Technology Act to create programs geared toward women.
Kildee, a democrat from Flint, said the act would help Michigan’s economy.
“If we’re going to eradicate poverty in this country that starts with the economic empowerment of women. If we leave that to chance, and if we allow these areas of the economy to continue to grow and disproportionately leave women out of the workforce, we’re never going to close the wage gap.”
Kildee said the programs would focus on educating women in STEM fields, and promoting opportunities in schools.
“This is an area where the economy continues to grow, and if we're going to have full economic empowerment of women, we need to make sure we’re connecting women at the fundamental level, at the training level, to jobs of the future.”
