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.