In this section, the percentage of time spent on teaching, the number of classes taught, and the number of students advised are examined for gender differences. It is often assumed that female faculty spend a greater percentage of their time on instructional duties than male faculty.
Using the data from our faculty survey, the percentages of time men and women spent teaching and advising undergraduate and graduate students were combined and the average percentages were compared for men and women. Overall, female and male respondents reported spending approximately the same percentage of time on teaching and advising (men, 41.4 percent; women, 42.6 percent). The NSOPF:04 provided similar data: 44.2 percent for men and 42.0 percent for women. Here again, the percentages in the two surveys are remarkably similar.
Disaggregated by field, the difference between men and women faculty is approaching significance in chemistry and civil engineering, with women reporting more time spent on teaching and advising than men. In the NSOPF:04 data, there were no significant differences between men and women in the aggregated fields reported (biology, physical sciences, mathematics, and computer science).