Another gender milestone: Women dominating PhDs
This Chronicle article reports on women in the lead regardless of race or ethnicity. Article based on this National Science Foundation study:
Last year, for the first time ever, women earned more doctorates than men in every racial and ethnic group, according to a new National Science Foundation paper offering selected findings from the federal government’s annual Survey of Earned Doctorates.
In the chart, it’s worth noting the differences between science/engineering doctorates and the rest. Women are making progress in taking on more science doctorates, but is it enough to meet the needs of the economy? (Also, note the non-U.S. citizen figures in the science/engineering category.)
| TABLE 2. Doctorates awarded, by category of field and selected characteristics of recipient: 2003–07 | ||||||
| Characteristic | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Science and engineering fields | 25,282 | 26,275 | 27,989 | 29,854 | 31,801 | |
| Male | 15,762 | 16,418 | 17,404 | 18,367 | 19,509 | |
| Female | 9,520 | 9,854 | 10,537 | 11,469 | 12,259 | |
| U.S. citizen | 14,640 | 14,742 | 14,907 | 15,459 | 16,022 | |
| Non-U.S. citizena | 9,485 | 10,157 | 11,518 | 12,777 | 13,545 | |
| Non-science and engineering fields | 15,475 | 15,844 | 15,394 | 15,743 | 16,278 | |
| Male | 6,493 | 6,546 | 6,330 | 6,646 | 6,657 | |
| Female | 8,982 | 9,297 | 9,039 | 9,074 | 9,600 | |
| U.S. citizen | 11,872 | 11,725 | 11,415 | 11,457 | 11,546 | |
| Non-U.S. citizena | 2,740 | 3,002 | 2,907 | 3,176 | 3,402 | |
| a Permanent residents and temporary visa holders. | ||||||
| NOTE: Individuals of unknown sex or citizenship are included in totals but are not shown separately. | ||||||
| SOURCE: National Science Foundation/Division of Science Resources Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates. | ||||||
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Tags: women in science
