Science, Technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are all industries that are vital to our civilization. And the need for more women in all of these fields is by no means a new need or desire. The things women bring to the table are invaluable and it’s no wonder that so many orgs like SheHeroes are always investigating ways to inspire, encourage, and push more girls and women to pursue careers in all areas of STEM. Universities are always researching the whys and hows behind the lack of women in these fields and sometimes even try to research ways to change it. But when the White House steps in with an actual game plan it feels like we’re actually taking some serious steps in getting more girls to pursue careers in STEM.

A couple of weeks ago the White House Council on Women and Girls Executive Director Tina Tchen, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John P. Holdren, and National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Subra Suresh announced the “NSF Career-Life Balance Initiative,” a 10-year plan to provide greater work-related flexibility to women and men in research careers.

An example of what this plan will do is allow researchers to delay or suspend their grants for up to one year in order to care for a newborn or newly adopted child or fulfill other family obligations. This will help to maximize current policy to facilitate scientists’ reentry into their professions with minimal loss of momentum, one of the biggest challenges women scientists face in the profession.

“Jump-starting girls’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math—the so-called STEM subjects -- and boosting the percentage of women employed in science and engineering is not just the right thing to do but is also the smart thing to do for America’s future and the economy,” said Tina Tchen.

“Too many young women scientists and engineers get sidetracked or drop their promising careers because they find it too difficult to balance the needs of those careers and the needs of their families,” said Subra Suresh. “This new initiative aims to change that, so that the country can benefit from the full range and diversity of its talent.”

According to the White House website other items included in this new initiative are,

• Allow grant suspension for parental leave – Grant recipients who wish to suspend their grants to take parental leave can extend those grants by a comparable duration at no cost.
• Provide supplements to cover research technicians – Principal investigators can apply for stipends to pay research technicians or equivalent staff to maintain labs while PIs are on family leave.
• Publicize the availability of family friendly opportunities – NSF will issue announcements and revise current program solicitations to expressly promote these opportunities to eligible awardees.
• Promote family friendliness for panel reviewers – STEM researchers who review the grant proposals of their peers will have greater opportunities to conduct virtual reviews rather than travel to a central location, increasing flexibility and reducing dependent-care needs.
• Support research and evaluation – NSF will continue to encourage the submission of proposals for research that would asses the effectiveness of policies aimed at keeping women in the STEM pipeline.
• Leverage and Expand Partnerships -- NSF will leverage existing relationships with academic institutions to encourage the extension of the tenure clock and allow for dual hiring opportunities.

We look forward to watching this new initiative take shape and become integrated into the workplace. We hope that it does in fact become a huge step in bringing more women into STEM fields.

“If we’re going to out-innovate and out-educate the rest of the world, we’ve got to open doors for everyone,” said First Lady Michelle Obama.  “We need all hands on deck, and that means clearing hurdles for women and girls as they navigate careers in science, technology, engineering and math.”