Today, women remain a distinct minority in science and engineering, representing approximately 10 percent of professionals in these fields. The Amelia Earhart Fellowship program helps talented women, pursuing advanced studies in the typically male-dominated fields of aerospace-related sciences and engineering, achieve their educational goals.

The Fellowship enables these women to invest in state-of-the-art computers to conduct their research, purchase expensive books and resource materials, and participate in specialized studies around the globe.

Amelia Earhart Fellows have gone on to become astronauts, aerospace engineers, astronomers, professors, geologists, business owners, heads of companies, even Secretary of the US Air Force.

The award was established in 1998 from a generous bequest by Jane M. Klausman, a member of the Zonta Club of Syracuse, New York, USA.

Women have made great strides in the pursuit of education, careers and leadership roles they were once denied. However, they still comprise a minority of leaders in the business world. As of December 2020, 21.2% of S&P 500 companies’ board seats are occupied by women, and just 6% of the companies’ CEOs are women.

Because Zonta International believes in gender equality, the Jane M. Klausman (JMK) Women in Business Scholarship program helps women pursue undergraduate and master’s degrees in business management and overcome gender barriers from the classroom to the boardroom. The Zonta Foundation for Women awarded the first Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarships in 1998 to women pursuing degrees in business leading to a business management career. Jane M. Klausman was a member of the Zonta Club of Syracuse, New York, USA, and the 1990-1995 Zonta International Parliamentarian. During her career, Ms. Klausman was a professional secretary, parliamentarian and entrepreneur.

The program operates at the Zonta club, district/region and international levels. Zonta International offers 37 international scholarships of US5,000. Each district/region may submit one applicant for consideration for an international scholarship. The five largest districts may submit a second applicant for a total of two applicants.

Since the program’s inception, Zonta has awarded 676 scholarships, totaling more than US$1.6 million, to 522 women representing 66 countries.

More info:

www.zonta.org/Web/Our_Programs/Education/Women_in_Business_Scholarship/Web/Programs/Education/Women_in_Business_Scholarship.asp

The progress of women in the last century has dramatically increased the opportunities available to women, yet women’s participation in positions of public influence continues to lag behind. Although women account for nearly 50 percent of the workforce, they hold just 19.5 percent of seats in the world’s national parliaments as of 31 December 2011, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Zonta International believes young women are the key to women’s advancement in the field of public service. The Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) Awards program recognizes young women for their demonstrated leadership skills and commitment to public service and civic causes and encourages them to continue their participation in public and political life.
Since the program’s inception, Zonta has given 637 awards to 565 young women from 50 countries