phys.org - The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) today announced the release of the 2017 Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering (WMPD) report, the federal government's most comprehensive look at the participation of these three demographic groups in science and engineering education and employment. The report shows the degree to which women, people with disabilities and minorities from three racial and ethnic groups—black, Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native—are underrepresented in science and engineering (S&E;). Women have reached parity with men in educational attainment but not in S&E; employment. Underrepresented minorities account for disproportionately smaller percentages in both S&E; education and employment

Congress mandated the biennial report in the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act as part of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) mission to encourage and strengthen the participation of underrepresented groups in S&E;.