CAREER GIRLS

You need to see it to achieve it. Giving girls access to women role models helps them imagine themselves in STEM and other careers, and it gives girls confidence to pursue their dreams.

Girls and young women don’t pursue STEM as often as boys and young men do in part because they don’t see females in these roles. For example, studies show that girls who associate mathematics with boys and men are less likely to perceive themselves as being interested in or skilled at math. As a result, they spend less time studying and engaging with math concepts.

An “imagination gap” exists—the difference between career choices that girls imagine for themselves and the range of careers actually available for them to pursue based on their interests. Girls, particularly those in underserved communities, may not see themselves in STEM roles or know that particular roles even exist.

Career Girls exists to change this narrative. We educate and inspire girls and young women to know and pursue the careers of their dreams.

Career Girls works to meet these goals through the programs above. To address barriers that girls and young women face, our programs provide:

(1) Awareness support: 800+ career examples from accomplished women role models.
(2) Skills support: Step-by-step guidance, skill development videos, and empowerment lessons.
(3) Self-esteem support: Diverse role models who share stories of developing confidence and overcoming challenges.
(4) Guidance support: Each role model provides professional guidance on how to achieve her career path. Career Girls also provides a host of additional information for girls and their families, including “Mentoring Tips for Parents,” “College Terms,” learning guides, career-specific information like salary and the future jobs outlook for each career, etc.

Key features of our work include:

• Diverse women role models: By providing girls with examples of diverse women role models working in STEM fields, Career Girls strengthens the pipeline of women in STEM, increasing female presence, achievement, and persistence.
• Accessible, compelling content: We provide education content utilizing multiple formats and platforms that engage and serve girls.
• Tailored programs: While we serve girls and young women of all ages, our content is tailored to females aged 10-13, a pivotal age when girls generally start to show less interest in science and math.
• Partnership: Our programs are designed in collaboration with children, youth, and educators, so that Career Girls’ work reflects their priorities and maximizes effectiveness.

In 1996, Career Girls’ founder—then a database design consultant—walked into a government meeting and realized she was one of a few women, and the only woman of color, at the table. She resolved to bring more women to the table with her, a moment that inspired the start of Career Girls and continues to guide our work today.

Career Girls has an experienced, diverse, and motivated team, an engaged Board of Directors, and an expert Advisory Panel. We continually gather feedback from stakeholders—children, youth, educators, and women role models—to ensure that our programs are effective and serving the needs of girls and young women.

We collaborate with external partners as well. Recent collaborations include the: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Girl Scouts of Northern California, Global Fund for Women, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Black Girls Code, The Michigan Learning Channel, Detroit Public TV, and more.

The following are a few of Career Girls’ accomplishments over the last year, thanks to the support of generous donors around the world.

• We added online video content and curriculum from interviews of more than 100 new women role models across the US and internationally, including a significant increase in the number of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics careers represented.
• We received 5 million visitors to our online knowledgebase, which experiences significant growth annually.
• We developed a highly impactful series of free virtual camps for girls featuring industry-leading women role models who share their expertise and facilitate breakout session activities. Topics include AI and Robotics, Financial Empowerment, Environmental Science, and Business Models and IPO camp. Guest presenters included the president of the New York Stock Exchange and leading researchers in AI and robotics.
• We produced a free webinar series featuring hosted conversations and Q&A sessions with girl entrepreneurs paired with diverse role model entrepreneurs from the same field.
• We added over 30 new college student interviews to our online resources. These diverse near-peer college students share advice, inspiration, and encouragement for girls to attend college.
• We expanded our college major information resources and developed a popular and informative interactive quiz to help girls learn college majors that might interest them.

With your help, we are making progress to inspire and equip girls and young women, but there is still more to do, particularly in STEM fields. Career Girls will continue to work with children, youth, educators, and women role models to help every girl around the world can reach her full potential.