COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On the
International Day of the Girl, Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc. (ROX)
reveals new findings from a national survey of more than 10,000
girls. The findings from this new report, entitled Girls, STEM
and Careers: Decoding Girls' Futures in an Age of Social Media,
were released today at Intuit Headquarters in Mountain View, CA as part of this year's
International Day of the Girl celebration.
"The revelations contained in this research study effectively
reframe the conversation and highlight the opportunities ahead as
we empower the next generation of women leaders to take their seat
at the table," said Brad Smith,
CEO of Intuit. "In a world where an understanding of STEM is
quickly becoming table stakes, building confidence and capability
in girls that their contributions measure up and matter is critical
to their individual and our collective success. At Intuit, we have
benefited greatly from talented women leading our company at every
level, from the board room to our front lines, and we are champions
of the important work that Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX) is driving
to increase the pipeline of interested and capable girls in pursuit
of their dreams."
Made possible with support from Battelle, the Girls, STEM and
Careers Impact Report provides a deeper understanding of
behaviors, thoughts and perceptions of a national sample of fifth
through twelfth grade girls.
"Reaching today's girls means hearing their voices," said Dr.
Aimee Kennedy, Senior Vice President
of Education and Philanthropy at Battelle. "Those voices come
through loud and clear in this report, and anyone who supports
young women, as a parent, educator or mentor, should read it."
Research findings include:
- Girls' interest in pursuing a career in math and/or
science increases 16 percent from fifth to ninth grade, however,
during these years there is also a 15 percent decline in girls'
perceived abilities in math and science. Additionally,
overall confidence declines as girls get older.
- While 73 percent of girls believe they are good at math
and/or science, this number declines to less than half for Hispanic
girls, and only 56 percent of Asian girls. This is in contrast
to 77 percent of white/Caucasian girls and 72 percent of
black/African American girls.
- More than 42 percent of girls believe that there are certain
jobs that are better for men than women. Additionally, one in
three girls believe that boys are encouraged more than girls in the
areas of math and science.
"When fifty percent of high school girls report that they are
considering a career in a math and/or science field, we celebrate
this as a sign that the national efforts to increase girls'
interest in the STEM fields is having a positive impact. However,
when nearly the same percentage of girls do not believe they are
smart enough for their dream job, we recognize that we need to
augment our efforts to support girls personally and academically,"
said Dr. Lisa Hinkelman, ROX
Founder and Executive Director and principal researcher of The
Girls' Index.
The full Girls, STEM and Careers Impact Report is
available at https://rulingourexperiences.com/impactreports.
Methodology
The Girls' Index™: New Insights
into the Complex World of Today's Girls examines the thoughts,
behaviors, attitudes and perceptions of 10,678 girls in fifth-12th
grade in the United States using
data from school-based surveys. It was developed by ROX and
administered by school administrators throughout 2016-17. Secondary
analysis was performed on The Girls' Index™ data to provide
findings for the Girls, STEM and Careers: Decoding Girls'
Futures in an Age of Social Media impact report. For additional
study outcomes, access the full Girls' Index™ report at
http://bit.ly/thegirlsindexreport.
About Ruling Our eXperiences: Ruling Our eXperiences,
Inc. (ROX) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization headquartered in
Columbus, OH. Emerging from a 2006-2011 faculty research study at
The Ohio State University, the mission of ROX is to create
generations of confident girls who can control their own
relationships, experiences and decisions. ROX utilizes research and
evidence-based programming to simultaneously impact girls, educate
and support the adult influencers in girls' lives and improve the
societal conditions that have the potential to negatively impact
girls. For more information about ROX, visit
www.rulingourexperiences.org.
About Dr. Lisa Hinkelman:
Lisa Hinkelman, Ph.D. is the founder
and executive director of Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc. (ROX). She
is a counselor, educator, researcher and author of the
award-winning book, 'Girls Without Limits: Helping Girls Achieve
Healthy Relationships, Academic Success and Interpersonal
Strength'. Dr. Hinkelman's work for the past decade has focused on
the critical issues impacting girls and how schools, parents and
educators can effectively support and encourage girls'
interpersonal, educational and career growth. Previously, as a
Counselor Education faculty member at The Ohio
State University, Dr. Hinkelman's teaching and scholarly
research focused on social and emotional learning, non-academic
barriers that impact learning and girls' self-concept development.
She was selected as a Nominated Changemaker for The White House
United State of Women and is a Draper, Richards, Kaplan Social
Entrepreneur Fellow.
About Battelle: Every day, the people of Battelle apply
science and technology to solving what matters most. At major
technology centers and national laboratories around the world,
Battelle conducts research and development, designs and
manufactures products and delivers critical services for government
and commercial customers. Battelle also manages a range of
successful projects bringing quality STEM education to students
including the Ohio STEM Learning Network, Tennessee STEM Innovation
Network and the national STEMx network. Headquartered in
Columbus, OH since its founding in
1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life
sciences and energy and environmental industries. For more
information, visit www.battelle.org.
About Intuit: Intuit's mission is
to Power Prosperity Around the World. Our
global products and platforms,
including TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mint and Turbo,
are designed to empower consumers, self-employed and
small businesses to improve their financial lives, finding
them more money with the least amount of work, while giving them
complete confidence in their actions and
decisions. Our innovative ecosystem of financial
management solutions serves approximately 50 million customers
worldwide, unleashing the power of many for the prosperity of
one. Please visit us for the latest news and in-depth
information about Intuit and its brands and find us
on social.
Contact: Megan Wholey,
708-814-0004, megan.wholey@edelman.com
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SOURCE Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc.