Women, the doctorate, and equity in engineering education

Abstract

A common explanation for the under-representation of women in faculty appointments in science, mathematics and engineering (SME) fields is that women drop out of graduate school without completing their degrees and thus are under-represented among those qualified for such appointments. The study explores both the empirical validity and textual sources for this explanation. An analysis of enrollment and graduation records for three cohorts entering graduate school at North Carolina State University from 1985 to 1987 for ten departments casts doubt on the notion that there are gender differences in completion rates. Close scrutiny of the literature often cited in support of claims about women's attrition reveals that such claims are not based on contemporary research findings. The study concludes that graduate attrition may no longer be key to understanding the under representation of women among science, mathematics, and engineering faculty. A better explanation may come from understanding how a later stage of training, the postdoctoral position, presents a new structural barrier to women's career advancement in SME fields.