Astronomy
From the Washington Post: Report: More women than men in U.S. earned doctorates last year for first time
As the article notes, the gender ratio for undergraduate and masters degrees has been tipped toward women for a while now. So it was only matter of time before doctoral programs followed suit. But, how far up the pipeline can we go with this? As the article says:
It's also important to realize that most of the gains for women have been made in fields like health sciences, social & behavioral sciences, and education. As the article states, "Men retained the lead in doctoral degrees until 2008, largely through their dominance in engineering, mathematics and the physical sciences." That includes astronomy.
The sobering message of the article is that even when we do achieve parity in doctoral degrees awarded, retaining those women and getting them into the ranks of senior faculty will still be an uphill battle.
- Why Did You Decide On A Phd In Astronomy And Not Physics?
Data from the American Institute of Physics indicate that the fraction of PhDs awarded to women is twice as high in astronomy as in physics. Similar disparities exist at other levels. Note the difference in scales! When thinking about the participation...
- First The Facts
Today's guest blogger is Annika Peter. I am a dark-matter and gravitational-dynamics junkie, currently finishing up a postdoctoral position at UC Irvine, and moving to a faculty position in the Departments of Physics and Astronomy at The Ohio State...
- How To Encourage More Girls To Enter Science?
Women earn the majority of college degrees in the U.S. and, since 2009, the majority of doctorates. This is not the case in astronomy or physics. Why are we different? The American Institute of Physics has studied the enrollments of girls and boys in...
- The Status Of Mit Women Faculty In Science And Engineering
[Note: This is a copy of a post at diversity.mit.edu.] MIT has just released an important new report, A Report on the Status of Women Faculty in the Schools of Science and Engineering at MIT, 2011. This report, prepared in association with the upcoming...
- Balance: A Generational Divide
There's a great post by Alice Pawley of Sciencewomen about a study which surveyed doctoral students in the University of California system. They found: major research universities may be losing some of the most talented tenure-track academics...
Astronomy
Dr. Ms.
From the Washington Post: Report: More women than men in U.S. earned doctorates last year for first time
As the article notes, the gender ratio for undergraduate and masters degrees has been tipped toward women for a while now. So it was only matter of time before doctoral programs followed suit. But, how far up the pipeline can we go with this? As the article says:
But women who aspired to become college professors, a common path for those with doctorates, were hindered by the particular demands of faculty life. Studies have found that the tenure clock often collides with the biological clock: The busiest years of the academic career are the years that well-educated women tend to have children.Emphasis is mine. Couple that with the difficulty of establishing a foothold in a department with overwhelmingly male senior faculty and you have a pretty tough glass ceiling to break.
"Many women feel they have to choose between having a career in academics and having a family," said Catherine Hill, director of research at the American Association of University Women. "Of course, they shouldn't have to."
It's also important to realize that most of the gains for women have been made in fields like health sciences, social & behavioral sciences, and education. As the article states, "Men retained the lead in doctoral degrees until 2008, largely through their dominance in engineering, mathematics and the physical sciences." That includes astronomy.
The sobering message of the article is that even when we do achieve parity in doctoral degrees awarded, retaining those women and getting them into the ranks of senior faculty will still be an uphill battle.
- Why Did You Decide On A Phd In Astronomy And Not Physics?
Data from the American Institute of Physics indicate that the fraction of PhDs awarded to women is twice as high in astronomy as in physics. Similar disparities exist at other levels. Note the difference in scales! When thinking about the participation...
- First The Facts
Today's guest blogger is Annika Peter. I am a dark-matter and gravitational-dynamics junkie, currently finishing up a postdoctoral position at UC Irvine, and moving to a faculty position in the Departments of Physics and Astronomy at The Ohio State...
- How To Encourage More Girls To Enter Science?
Women earn the majority of college degrees in the U.S. and, since 2009, the majority of doctorates. This is not the case in astronomy or physics. Why are we different? The American Institute of Physics has studied the enrollments of girls and boys in...
- The Status Of Mit Women Faculty In Science And Engineering
[Note: This is a copy of a post at diversity.mit.edu.] MIT has just released an important new report, A Report on the Status of Women Faculty in the Schools of Science and Engineering at MIT, 2011. This report, prepared in association with the upcoming...
- Balance: A Generational Divide
There's a great post by Alice Pawley of Sciencewomen about a study which surveyed doctoral students in the University of California system. They found: major research universities may be losing some of the most talented tenure-track academics...