Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty

Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty presents new and surprising findings about career differences between female and male full-time, tenure-track, and tenured faculty in science, engineering, and mathematics at the nation's top research universities. Much of this congressionally mandated book is based on two unique surveys of faculty and departments at major U.S. research universities in six fields: biology, chemistry, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mathematics, and physics. A departmental survey collected information on departmental policies, recent tenure and promotion cases, and recent hires in almost 500 departments. A faculty survey gathered information from a stratified, random sample of about 1,800 faculty on demographic characteristics, employment experiences, the allocation of institutional resources such as laboratory space, professional activities, and scholarly productivity. This book paints a timely picture of the status of female faculty at top universities, clarifies whether male and female faculty have similar opportunities to advance and succeed in academia, challenges some commonly held views, and poses several questions still in need of answers. This book will be of special interest to university administrators and faculty, graduate students, policy makers, professional and academic societies, federal funding agencies, and others concerned with the vitality of the U.S. research base and economy. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Status of Women in Academic Science and Engineering in 2004 and 2005 3 Gender Differences in Academic Hiring 4 Professional Activities, Institutional Resources, Climate, and Outcomes 5 Gender Differences in Tenure and Promotion 6 Key Findings and Recommendations Appendixes Appendix 1-1: Biographical Information on Committee Members Appendix 1-2: List of Research I Institutions Appendix 1-3: Committee Meeting Agenda Appendix 1-4: The Surveys Appendix 1-5: Survey Instruments Appendix 1-6: Departments in Survey Appendix 2-1: Review of Literature and Relevant Research Appendix 2-2: Previous Research on Factors Contributing to Gender Differences Among Faculty Appendix 3-1: Review of Literature and Research on Factors Associated with a Higher Proportion of Female Applicants Appendix 3-2: Estimated Adjusted Mean Effects and Differences for the Probability That There Are No Female Applicants Appendix 3-3: Estimated Adjusted Mean Effects and Differences Based on the Modeled Probability of the Percentage of Applicants That Are Female Appendix 3-4: Estimated Adjusted Mean Effects and Differences Based on the Modeled Probability of at Least One Female Candidate Interviewed Appendix 3-5: Doctoral Degrees Awarded by All Doctoral-Granting Institutions, by Field, Gender, and Year Appendix 3-6: Doctoral Degrees Awarded by Discipline and Gender for Research I Institutions, 1999-2003 Appendix 3-7: Marginal Mean and Variance of Transformed Response Variables Appendix 3-8: Main Considerations for Taking a Position by Number of Respondents Saying "Yes" Appendix 4-1: Distribution of Undergraduate Course Load for Faculty by Gender and Discipline Appendix 4-2: Percentage of Faculty Members Who Do No Graduate Teaching Appendix 4-3: Percentage of Faculty Members Receiving a Reduced Teaching Load When Hired Appendix 4-4: Percentage of Faculty Members Who Served on an Undergraduate Thesis or Honors Committee Appendix 4-5: Percentage of Faculty Members Who Served on and Chaired an Undergraduate Thesis or Honors Committee Appendix 4-6: Distribution of Number of Graduate Thesis or Honors Committees for Research I Tenure and Tenure-Track Faculty: Men/Women Appendix 4-7: Percentage of Time Spent in Administration or Committee Work on Campus and Service to the Profession Outside the University for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty at Research I Institutions: Men/Women Appendix 4-8: Distribution of Number of ...