Fab Lab-Based Learning and Gender Gap in North America

In this quantitative research, we analyze the geographic distribution and gender gap of women graduates from a Fab Lab-based learning environment across IEEE Regions 1-7 in North America. The United States (Regions 1-6) contributed 10% (N=143) of the women graduates, while Canada (Region 7) contributed 1 % (N=11) across 26 Fab Academy nodes out of 324 Fab Labs in Regions 1-7. The study includes 49 women graduates from 2 countries between 2009 and 2023, out of 154 graduate students. These results are compared to the total Fab Academy graduates by gender (N=1,433) for IEEE Regions 8-10 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania). The United States has the highest number of women graduates in the Fab Academy universe at 33%, followed by Region 8 (30%), Region 10 (23%), Region 9 (20%) and Region 7 (18%). The study provides quantitative evidence supporting previous qualitative initiatives, where Fab-Lab-based learning directly and positively impacts a greater number of women who acquire STEM skills.