“COVID Could Undo the Progress We Celebrate on International Day of Women and Girls in Science.”

Christa Kelleher, assistant professor of comparative hydrology, urban hydrology and hydrologic modeling in the College of Arts and Sciences, authored an op-ed for Newsweek “COVID Could Undo the Progress We Celebrate on International Day of Women and Girls in Science.” Kelleher writes that the COVID pandemic is “very likely to set back the minimal progress that has been achieved over the past few decades” in increasing the representation of women and women of color in STEM, as women are being laid off at higher rates than men. “It’s too early to tell exactly how these changes will impact the STEM workforce, but it is likely that gains made in representation among women as well as minorities (who account for only a fraction of the STEM workforce) will be at risk,” Kelleher says.