Women have long been underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. In 2015, women made up just 28% of the STEM workforce. One exception is industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology, the subdiscipline of psychology focused on the world of work. In this year’s U.S. News & World Report “Best Job” rankings, I-O psychology is the 21st Best STEM Job and the 2nd Best Science Job.
Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology—what a mouthful! The field originally focused on the prediction and improvement of job performance in industrial and military settings, but after World War II interests in broader organizational phenomena (e.g., leadership, groups, motivation, satisfaction) came into frame. Before APA Division 14 incorporated as the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) in 1982, it was called Division 14, Industrial and Business Psychology from 1945 to 1962. In 1962, “Business” was dropped from the name, and in 1973 “Organizational” was added to the name.