Statistics can tell us a lot -- about our university, our discipline, and our society.

And there is one statistic that needs to change--the number of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines is decreasing.

In 2009, just 17.7% of undergraduate female students were enrolled in STEM disciplines, down from 19.8% in 1999 (http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/2013/start.cfm)

The numbers for geography are, fortunately, a bit better. In 1999-2000, 34% of individuals receiving an undergraduate degree in geography were women (Panditt 2004), In 2010-2011, this percentage rose to 35% (http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d11/tables/dt11_290.asp). That's right. Not much.

While at the national level the proportion of women in geography has not changed significantly over the past decade, at the University of North Texas, recent enrollment in geography suggests something different (photo 1)--the number of women appears to be increasing.

Who cares? Increasing the participation of all underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines and social sciences, too, is a critical step towards broadening how our community sees, studies, and understands the world (Uriarte et al. 2007). Here, at UNT, we're excited to enhance diversity in geography, especially because our discipline is founded on an appreciation for the complexity, culture, color, and coolness of the planet and of life.

Pandit, K. 2004. Geography's human resources over the past half-century. The Professional Geographer, 56:12-21.

Uriarte, M., H. A. Ewing, V. T. Eviner, and K. C. Weathers. 2007. Constructing a broader and more inclusive value system in science. BioScience 57:71-78.

Photo 1: A sampling of the undergraduate women in geography at UNT, with faculty members Dr. Lisa Nagaoka (left back row) and Dr. Alexandra Ponette-González (right back row).