In the science, technical, math and engineering fields, women only account for a little more than two out of ten jobs while they account for almost five out of ten in the workforce as a whole. There are efforts to attract more women, like the female students pictured here from the Department of Landscape Architecture at Iowa State University, into STEM jobs.

Even though women now make up nearly half the workforce, only 23 percent of workers in STEM-related jobs are female, a fact that Karen Purcell, the founder, owner, and president of an award-winning engineering, design and consulting firm, would like to change.

At speaking engagements and in her book, Unlocking Your Brilliance: Smart Strategies for Women to Thrive in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, Purcell teaches women the techniques to successfully pursue a career in science, technology, engineering, or math.

One of her top tips is to find support among peers in a formalized way by joining professional groups that match an individual's goals. To help identify the right group, Purcell advises to first talk to peers and ask them what groups they are involved with and ascertain if those groups would be a good fit.

"Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals who have similar goals can help build your confidence exponentially," says Purcell. "In contributing valuable advice to respected peers in the forum setting, you become increasingly confident about presenting yourself as credible to your partners, clients, and superiors."

Purcell encourages women to also do research on their own to find a group that will support them and present opportunities to meet new people in their selected fields.

According to Purcell, this research should include figuring out how the group is led and how committed the leaders are to the group, making sure there is organization all the way up through the group and that steps are being taken to develop a positive, encouraging environment from the top down, and considering whether or not the group is made up of people that are approachable and trustworthy.

"Attracting and retaining more women in STEM careers, such as the landscape architecture industry, will help tremendously to improve diversity, maximize creativity, and boost competitiveness," says Purcell. "Women bring a different perspective to the workplace and can help breed creativity in STEM fields that can only expand as broadly as the minds that work within them."