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

by National Research Council, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Committee on National Statistics, Policy and Global Affairs, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780309114639
Publisher:	National Academies Press
Publication date:	07/18/2010
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

Table of Contents

Summary

1 Introduction 15

Why Disparities Matter 16

The Committee's Charge 19

Approach and Scope 19

Outline of Report 29

2 Status of Women in Academic Science and Engineering in 2004 and 2005 31

Degrees Earned 32

Faculty Representation 33

Professional Activities and Climate 36

3 Gender Differences in Academic Hiring 39

The Hiring Process 40

Applications for Faculty Positions 43

Selection for Interviews for S&E Jobs 50

Offers Made 56

Hires 59

Faculty Perspective on Hiring 61

Institutional Policies for Increasing the Diversity of Applicant Pools 61

Summary of Findings 64

4 Professional Activities, Institutional Resources, Climate, and Outcomes 70

Professional Activities 73

Institutional Resources 77

Climate 84

Outcomes 88

Summary of Findings 110

5 Gender Differences in Tenure and Promotion 116

Tenure and Promotion Processes 118

Equity in Tenure and Promotion Decisions 121

Tenure and Promotion Awards 124

Time in Rank 134

Summary of Findings 148

6 Key Findings and Recommendations 153

Appendixes

1-1 Biographical Information on Committee Members 171

1-2 List of Research I Institutions 178

1-3 Committee Meeting Agenda 179

1-4 The Surveys 181

1-5 Survey Instruments 189

1-6 Departments in Survey 216

2-1 Review of Literature and Relevant Research 249

2-2 Previous Research on Factors Contributing to Gender Differences Among Faculty 267

3-1 Review of Literature and Research on Factors Associated with a Higher Proportion of Female Applicants 275

3-2 Estimated Adjusted Mean Effects and Differences for the Probability That There Are No Female Applicants 284

3-3 Estimated Adjusted Mean Effects and Differences Based on the Modeled Probability of the Percentage of Applicants That Are Female 285

3-4 Estimated Adjusted Mean Effects and Differences Based on the Modeled Probability of at Least One Female Candidate Interviewed 287

3-5 Doctoral Degrees Awarded by All Doctoral-Granting Institutions, by Field, Gender, and Year 289

3-6 Doctoral Degrees Awarded by Discipline and Gender for Research I Institutions, 1999-2003 290

3-7 Marginal Mean and Variance of Transformed Response Variables 291

3-8 Main Considerations for Taking a Position by Number of Respondents Saying "Yes" 295

4-1 Distribution of Undergraduate Course Load for Faculty by Gender and Discipline 296

4-2 Percentage of Faculty Members Who Do No Graduate Teaching 298

4-3 Percentage of Faculty Members Receiving a Reduced Teaching Load When Hired 299

4-4 Percentage of Faculty Members Who Served on an Undergraduate Thesis or Honors Committee 300

4-5 Percentage of Faculty Members Who Served on and Chaired an Undergraduate Thesis or Honors Committee 301

4-6 Distribution of Number of Graduate Thesis or Honors Committees for Research I Tenure and Tenure-Track Faculty 302

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 303

4-8 Distribution of Number of Service Committees for Research I Tenure and Tenure-Track Faculty 304

4-9 Mean Salary by Gender and Professorial Rank for Tenure and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions 305

4-10 Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions Receiving Summer Support 306

4-11 Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions Receiving Travel Funds 307

4-12 Median Square Footage of Lab Space of Faculty Who Report Doing Experimental Work 308

4-13 Faculty Who Have Received More Lab Space Since Hire 309

4-14 Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions Receiving Sufficient Equipment 310

4-15 Number of Postdoctorate Students for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions 311

4-16 Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions Receiving Sufficient Clerical Support 312

4-17 Percentage of Faculty Members Stating That They Had a Mentor 313

4-18 Distribution of the Number of Graduate Students for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions 314

4-19 Mean Number of Articles Published in Refereed Journals Over the Past 3 Years for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions 315

4-20a Estimated Probability of Having Grant Funding by Discipline, Gender, and Whether the Faculty Member Has an Assigned Mentor-Assistant Professors Only 316

4-20b Estimated Probability of Having Grant Funding by Discipline, Gender, and Whether the Faculty Member Has an Assigned Mentor-Associate Professors Only 317

4-21 Percentage Faculty Missing Salary Data by Gender and Discipline 318

4-22 Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty at Research I Institutions That Were Nominated for at Least One Award 319

4-23 Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Research I Faculty with Offers to Leave 320

4-24 Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty at Research I Institutions Planning to Leave or Retire 321

5-1 Knowledge of Tenure Procedures by Gender, Rank, and Presence of a Mentor 322

5-2 Detailed Tenure Information from Departmental Survey 324

5-3 Time Spent in Both Assistant and Associate Professorships 325

5-4 Years Between Starting Employment and Achieving Associate Professor Status, by Gender 326

5-5 Years Between Starting Employment and Achieving Full Professor Status, by Gender 327

5-6 Patterns of Nonresponse for Tenure Decisions 328

5-7 Patterns of Nonresponse for Promotion Decisions 329

Bibliography 330

Index 353