KEARNEY, NE — Leaders in STEM fields in Nebraska say it’s time to focus on increasing the number of women in their industries.

Bio Nebraska and Nebraska Cures released a study this week revealing data on women working in science, technology, engineering and math career fields. Now they’re sharing the findings across the state.

“We got the report back and we realized, there are some problems in Nebraska," Dr. Kimberly Carlson said. "Now we can roll this out, let everybody know what the issues are, and work towards a common goal of making it better.”

The study organizers say only 29 percent of people working in STEM fields nationally are women. It’s more severe in Nebraska, with women counting as 27 percent of the STEM workforce.

Carlson co-chairs the biology department at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She says those numbers need to change to provide industry role models for young women… and because women are just simply good at these jobs.

“Women make great scientists, we make great engineers, we make great astronauts, so why not have more women in these careers,” Carlson said.

The report includes 48 in-depth interviews with women in STEM in Nebraska. They detail challenges spanning from maternity leave to salary negotiations to the state’s conservative values. 

Report release events in Kearney and Lincoln are the organizers’ first steps to addressing the problems through their Listen Then Act strategy.

“So it’s important to see that there are fundamental differences in men and women," Carlson said. "How do we address those and do the right thing for everybody?”