According to a six-year study reviewed by the University of Washington Human Rights Committee, conducted by Suzanne Brainard and Linda Carlin of undergraduate women in science, “20% of freshmen do not encountered obstacles; only 3% of older adults could say the same.” (Bickenstaff 380) This study illustrates a common theme for women studying a science. There is no specific reason why women believe barriers exist, but several theories suggest that there may be more than one factor contributing to these "barriers" for women. By considering multiple possibilities, it is possible to determine the causes of the underrepresentation of women in scientific careers such as physics, biology, technology, engineering and mathematics. There are many examples of scientific areas that women choose not to pursue for one reason or another. ; Sue V. Rosser, of the Georgia Institute of Technology, studies women in the workforce and academia and found that “women [earn] 55.5% of Master of Science degrees in all fields, [earn] ] only 39.3% of science degrees. and engineering fields” (53). Women can pursue some forms of science, but not to the point of equality in some areas. The American Association of University Women points out that “women earned only 21 percent of computer science doctorates in 2006,” as cited by the National Science Foundation (1). Sue Rosser notes that “women [earn] 40.6% of PhDs in all fields, but only 32.8% of PhDs in science and engineering” (53). Whatever the cause, it is clear that women fall behind in the ranks in many types of scientific fields. Questionable explanations for this range from women's lack of intelligence to fear of sexual harassment. A popular stereotype is t...... middle of paper ......successful in science and engineering, research shows that spatial skills can be improved quite easily with training (22). In response to discrimination, Hill states that “Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. […] Over the past 37 years, however, Title IX has been applied primarily to sports” (13). Title IX policies should apply to all women in the workforce to ensure that sexual harassment never occurs. Women should no longer be looked down upon when it comes to intelligence in math and science. And courses to improve spatial skills should be offered to all women who wish to work in a field that requires that kind of skill. With these types of changes, women will not be as underrepresented in any of the STEM fields as they currently are.