Hackensack, N.J. – They head some of the fastest- growing science-and-tech companies in the nation.
They’re concerned about global competition.
But a new survey of 100 of these executives found that most are untroubled by the low number of women and minorities in the sciences.
“There’s a real disconnect between being concerned about having enough scientists in the future and seeing minorities and women as a source of that workforce,” said Mae C. Jemison, a prominent scientist and spokeswoman for Bayer Corp., which commissioned the survey.
The survey is one in an ongoing series done as part of Bayer’s “Making Science Make Sense” program, which teaches science to children in 12 U.S. locations, including Morristown, N.J., where the company’s consumer- care division is based.
The survey found that two- thirds of chief executives, chief operating officers and chief financial officers agreed that women and minorities aren’t adequately represented in science, technology, engineering or math – or STEM – jobs. But 74 percent said they aren’t “frustrated” about not being able to hire more women, Latinos and American Indians.
“It’s a problem we’re hoping this survey brings awareness to,” Jemison said.
As the nation’s first African- American female astronaut to go to space, a medical doctor and the chief executive of Houston-based medical device company BioSentient Inc., Jemison knows the importance of cultivating an interest in science at a young age.
Bayer noted with the release of its survey that the independent, nonprofit Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology recently released data showing that women make up just 25 percent of the entire U.S. STEM workforce and minorities 10 percent.
Several scientific organizations argue that the United States could better compete globally and fill talent gaps in STEM fields if more women and minorities are hired and promoted.
“We as an industry have not yet made the commitment to develop women and minorities in these fields,” said Sarah Toulouse, a Bayer spokeswoman who oversees the program.
Earlier program surveys, Toulouse said, found that American parents and their children don’t know that 70 percent of the jobs in technology or science require a bachelor’s degree or less education.
“We need to do a better job of letting people know the jobs do exist, and they don’t necessarily require years and years of training,” Toulouse said.
“The Bayer Facts of Science Education XII: CEOs on STEM Diversity: The Need, The Seed, The Feed” survey questioned executives from companies Deloitte & Touche has ranked as among the fastest-growing in the United States based on revenue.
Nine in 10 company leaders believe supporting pre-college science education programs is necessary.
Most agreed that “direct contact with scientists and engineers is an effective way to help students better appreciate careers in science and engineering.”
But 62 percent said their companies and employees don’t participate in programs designed to attract, encourage and sustain interest in math and science among girls and minorities.
“We need to take an active role, whether we’re parents, in the classroom, or in companies, to make sure we offer role models for these young people,” Toulouse said.
