In addition to the underrepresentation of female faculty, concerns persisted regarding gender differences in the treatment of faculty. Several studies sug­gested women were evaluated more harshly and were less likely to be hired into academic positions (Lewin and Duchan, 1971; Steinpreis et al., 1999; Trix and Psenka, 2003; Wenneras and Wold, 1997). The literature also […]

Despite these encouraging numbers, the number and percentage of women faculty had yet to match these gains. While noticeably increasing throughout S&E disciplines, women continued to be underrepresented among academic faculty relative to the number of women receiving S&E degrees (Nelson and Rogers, 2005). As Table 2-1 shows, in 2003, women comprised between 6 and […]

Evidence of women’s representation in science and engineering is often measured first in the attainment of undergraduate and graduate degrees. [26] In 2004, 50.4 percent of all S&E bachelor’s degrees went to women.[27] Women received the majority of bachelor’s degrees in the agricultural sciences, biological sciences, oceanography, and chemistry, and they were awarded more than […]

Over the past 30 years, legislators, government agencies, professional societies, university administrators, and faculty have increasingly endeavored to raise the number of women pursuing higher education and careers in science and engineering (S&E). To a degree, these efforts have succeeded. Women have made substantial strides both in participating in postsecondary S&E education and in attaining […]

The remainder of the report is divided into four topic areas. Chapter 2 pres­ents data on the representation of female faculty in science and engineering as of 2004-2005. The next three chapters present the survey results and analysis, with findings at the end of each chapter. Specifically, Chapter 3 examines the applicant pool for academic […]

The primary source of information for this report consists of two new surveys designed and conducted especially for this project by the American Institute of Physics during 2004 and 2005. The surveys were undertaken to fill in some of the current gaps in knowledge regarding faculty outcomes and institutional practices, which could not otherwise be […]

The committee has benefited greatly from three other National Academies’ reports on women in academic science and engineering. In 2001 NRC published From Scarcity to Visibility: Gender Differences in the Careers of Doctoral Scien­tists and Engineers,”15 a statistical analysis of the career progression of matched cohorts of men and women Ph. D.s from 1973 to […]

In addition to focusing on select factors affecting academic careers, the study has limited its scope to particular types of institutions, individuals, and disciplines. First, the focus of this study is primarily current, rather than historical or predic­tive. It is beyond the scope of the charge and the resources of the committee overseeing this report […]

As is readily apparent to anyone who has studied, considered, or experienced an academic career, many vital transition points and factors affect career choices and decisions. These encompass influences from as early as high school or middle school to decisions and opportunities until (and beyond) retirement. They include decisions or opportunities to pursue academic careers, […]

This study is necessarily limited. Academia in the United States is both broad and varied, and the factors affecting the career tracks of female Ph. D.s in science and engineering are diverse and complex. This report focuses on a small but vital segment of higher education, a specific population of faculty members, and fac­tors affecting […]