---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The absence of women within STEM programs…"
description: "\"The absence of women within STEM programs is not only progressive, it is persistent - despite more than 20 years of programs intended to encourage the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/hope-jahren-4468_absence_the-absence-of-women-within-stem-program_660744.jpg"
---

#  The absence of women within STEM programs is not only…

![“The absence of women within STEM programs is not only progressive, it is persistent - despite more than 20 years of programs intended to encourage the participation of girls and women.” quote by Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/hope-jahren-4468_absence_the-absence-of-women-within-stem-program_660744.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/hope-jahren-4468_absence_the-absence-of-women-within-stem-program_660744.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/hope-jahren-4468_absence_the-absence-of-women-within-stem-program_660744.jpg)

> “The absence of women within STEM programs is not only progressive, it is persistent - despite more than 20 years of programs intended to encourage the participation of girls and women.”

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Women remain under‑represented in STEM despite decades of initiatives, indicating deep‑rooted systemic barriers.

**In simple terms:** Women still face lasting obstacles in STEM fields.

Key Takeaway

Address structural biases and support inclusion.

Themes

gender equity STEM education systemic bias

Mood

determined concerned

Type

educational advocacy

When to use this quote

- school curricula
- research labs
- industry hiring

Key Concepts

socialization policy mentorship role models

Questions to Reflect On

- What policies effectively increase women’s participation?
- How can allies help break the cycle?

A Different Perspective

Persistent inequality despite efforts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Absence Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence-women-4213784/) [Despite 20](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despite-20-5265514/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Participation Girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/participation-girls-5265513/) [Progressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progressive/) [Stem Programs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stem-programs-2737567/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Women Stem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-stem-2048701/)

## Related quotes

> [How do we encourage a lot more girls to pursue science, technology, and engineering careers? By casting droves of women in STEM jobs today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/how-do-we-encourage-a-lot-more-girls-to-pursue-science-technology-and/)

[Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/)

> [As Governor, expanding access to STEM programs for students has been a top priority of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sununu/as-governor-expanding-access-to-stem-programs-for-students-has-been-a/)

[Chris Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sununu/)

> [You can see the absence of women in governing bodies from Congress to state legislators, on corporate boards, in tenured positions in academia, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/you-can-see-the-absence-of-women-in-governing-bodies-from-congress-to/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [As far as I was concerned, it was the absence of women in the poetic tradition which allowed women in the poems to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eavan-boland/as-far-as-i-was-concerned-it-was-the-absence-of-women-in-the-poetic/)

[Eavan Boland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eavan-boland/)

> [Most Americans believe in fairness; we believe that people should work hard but there should be a safety net. We believe in saving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/most-americans-believe-in-fairness-we-believe-that-people-should-work/)

[Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/)

> [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [“It would seem no matter how progressive we get there are always those few who are backwards in their ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solange-nicole/it-would-seem-no-matter-how-progressive-we-get-there-are-always-those/)

[Solange nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solange-nicole/)

> [“Socialists and Progressives confuse compassion and compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-samaan/socialists-and-progressives-confuse-compassion-and-compulsion/)

[A.E. Samaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-samaan/)

> [People do not realize that Alzheimer's is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease, and staggering amounts of people develop Alzheimer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-is-not-old-age-it-is-a/)

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

> [The same law takes place in a system, consisting of many bodies, as in one single body, with regard to their persevering in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/the-same-law-takes-place-in-a-system-consisting-of-many-bodies-as-in/)

[Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/)

> [The re-establishment of an ecological balance depends on the ability of society to counteract the progressive materialization of values. The ecological balance cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/the-re-establishment-of-an-ecological-balance-depends-on-the-ability/)

[Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/)

> [History respects revolutions; and yet, if a revolution is progressive, support it; if it is reactionary, resist it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/history-respects-revolutions-and-yet-if-a-revolution-is-progressive/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Under Thatcher, who ruled us with an iron rod, great art was made. Amazing designers and musicians. Acid house was born. Very colourful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/under-thatcher-who-ruled-us-with-an-iron-rod-great-art-was-made/)

[Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/)

> [There's a dishonest tyranny in the liberal/progressive/socialist agenda that comes down and says 'we are here because we care about you; we want what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-west/there-s-a-dishonest-tyranny-in-the-liberal-progressive-socialist/)

[Allen West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-west/)

> [Progressive Conservative candidates from Quebec want to exert real power in Ottawa, not simply be content with playing a secondary role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-campbell/progressive-conservative-candidates-from-quebec-want-to-exert-real/)

[Kim Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-campbell/)

## More by Hope Jahren

> [A tree's wood is also its memoir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/a-tree-s-wood-is-also-its-memoir/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [“You and I are going to work our asses off, teach them shit over and over, risk our fucking lives for them, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/you-and-i-are-going-to-work-our-asses-off-teach-them-shit-over-and/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [Men and women study things differently, and it's not because of our chromosomes. It's a product of our cultural conditioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/men-and-women-study-things-differently-and-it-s-not-because-of-our/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [One thing that was very important to me was that I felt comfortable in the lab from being very, very small. I knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me-was-that-i-felt-comfortable/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [If every seed turned into a plant, we'd be living in a very different world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/if-every-seed-turned-into-a-plant-we-d-be-living-in-a-very-different/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [The live oak can grow sturdily on the hottest hills of central California, contrasting dark green against the golden grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-live-oak-can-grow-sturdily-on-the-hottest-hills-of-central/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [I grew up playing with kids who were the kids of people my parents grew up playing with, and they know me like nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-grew-up-playing-with-kids-who-were-the-kids-of-people-my-parents/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [The world breaks a little bit every time we cut down a tree. It's so much easier to cut one down than to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-world-breaks-a-little-bit-every-time-we-cut-down-a-tree-it-s-so/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [For a tree, to endure four months of daylight is like you or I going without sleep for four months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/for-a-tree-to-endure-four-months-of-daylight-is-like-you-or-i-going/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [I feel like I'm the same scientist I was back when I couldn't get a grant. Now I'm that same person thinking that same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-feel-like-i-m-the-same-scientist-i-was-back-when-i-couldn-t-get-a/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [Plants are decisive to a fault. A stem produces a bud that flowers once and once only. It offers pollen that is either dispersed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/plants-are-decisive-to-a-fault-a-stem-produces-a-bud-that-flowers/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [Even a very little girl can wield a slide rule, the cursor serving as a haft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/even-a-very-little-girl-can-wield-a-slide-rule-the-cursor-serving-as/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [“People will tell you that you have to know math to be a scientist, or physics or chemistry. They’re wrong. That’s like saying you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/people-will-tell-you-that-you-have-to-know-math-to-be-a-scientist-or/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [No matter how much funding I get, I'm always thinking, 'This is temporary. This is fragile. It could all end tomorrow, and how am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/no-matter-how-much-funding-i-get-i-m-always-thinking-this-is/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [“Everybody does all kinds of shit that they don’t know why they do. They just know that they have to,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/everybody-does-all-kinds-of-shit-that-they-don-t-know-why-they-do/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

[Explore all 110 Hope Jahren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

## More Absence quotes

> [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/)

[James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/)

> [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/)

[Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/)

> [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/)

[William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/)

> [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/)

[Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/)

> [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/)

[Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/)

> [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/many-are-observing-ferguson-and-witnessing-the-anger-demonstrations/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [We must begin by acknowledging that there is a complete absence of two things in Indian Society. One of these is equality. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/)

[B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/)

[Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The absence of women within STEM programs is not only progressive, it is persistent - despite more than 20 years of programs intended to encourage the participation of girls and women.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hope Jahren"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-absence-of-women-within-stem-programs-is-not-only-progressive-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Absence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-absence-of-women-within-stem-programs-is-not-only-progressive-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/hope-jahren-4468_absence_the-absence-of-women-within-stem-program_660744.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/hope-jahren-4468_absence_the-absence-of-women-within-stem-program_660744.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/hope-jahren-4468_absence_the-absence-of-women-within-stem-program_660744.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The absence of women within STEM programs is not only progressive, it is persistent - despite more than 20…” — Hope Jahren",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Hope Jahren",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The absence of women within STEM...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-absence-of-women-within-stem-programs-is-not-only-progressive-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-absence-of-women-within-stem-programs-is-not-only-progressive-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
