California’s Multimillion-Dollar Bet on Women in STEM Shows Alarming Stagnation

Ten years after a significant push to increase women’s participation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), California finds itself facing a sobering reality: substantial state investments have yet to yield meaningful progress. Despite millions directed toward promoting women in these vital fields, the numbers barely budged—leaving taxpayers and policymakers to ask: where did all the money go? How Long Will California Tolerate Disappointing Returns on Critical Investments? Between 2009 and 2023, the share of women earning bachelor’s degrees in engineering crept from roughly 19% to only about 25%. Computer science showed similar sluggish gains from around 16% to about...