Women in science are too rare and their accomplishments are often unrecognized, but a majority of Americans want to see that change.

"For society to meet the scientific challenges of the 21st century, we need to do more to fully engage the contributions of all citizens, particularly women, in science-related fields," said Laurent Attal, president and CEO L'Oreal USA, which commissioned a study on views in the U.S. toward women in science.

The survey found that 65 percent of the respondents could not name a single famous female scientist but that 87 percent said more progress would be made if more women were in science-related fields.

Almost 90 percent said that scientific research was important for the growth of the U.S. economy and that investment in scientific research would produce more jobs. Over 70 percent of respondents agreed that government and corporations should invest additional resources to encourage women to pursue science-related careers.

"We need our best and brightest minds advancing research, making discoveries and helping to stimulate the economy," Attal said, "Women are a pivotal part of that progress."

According to the National Science Board, women made up 26 percent of the nonacademic science and engineering occupations in 2005 and 33 percent of the academic workforce in 2006.