Another point to consider: the alternative to encouraging more participation in STEM by American women is to import male talent from places like China, India, and Brazil.
I want to change the topic from women in STEM to STEM in general. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine. What evidence is there for a shortage of college graduates with science degrees? Looking at the data in
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/the-college-majors-that-do-best-in-the-job-market/The College Majors That Do Best in the Job Market
By CATHERINE RAMPELL
New York Times
May 19, 2011
"physical science" majors had middling job placement and low average salaries -- $21K for jobs that require a B.A. or B.S.
Maybe this number is depressed by science majors earning low salaries as graduate students / teaching assistants. The numbers look better for the other parts of "TEM".
Looking at compensation vs. required effort and ability, physical science majors don't look good. If someone wants to study physics or chemistry because he or she is fascinated by the subject, fine, but such students should not be misled about their career prospects by talk of a general "STEM" shortage.
