Women’s Education in Mathematics, Science & Engineering

Women in Science and Mathematics: 15 th through the 19 th Century Educational opportunities to women, limited to highest socioeconomic level. Educational opportunities for women, even at highest levels, were seldom available. Until late 1800’s, few women had access to post-secondary education. With some notable exceptions, women were not among those who produced new scientific and mathematical concepts.

Women in Science and Mathematics: 15 th through the 19 th Century Participation frequently relied on substantial encouragement from, or collaboration with, parents, relatives or spouses. Education frequently relied on an “underground” system of tutorials, lectures, home study. Anti–intellectual atmosphere until early 19 th century Post-secondary education closed to women until founding of women’s college in late 19 th century.

Women in Science and Mathematics: 15 th through the 19 th Century Women’s colleges in late 19 th century: Vassar, Smith, Wellesley, Radliffe, Bryn, Mawr, Mount Holyoke. Women’s early work in science often focused on data-gathering, rather than idea-creation. By early 20 th century, more women were participating in theoretical science and mathematics, and considerably larger numbers were being educated for future contributions.

Women in Science and Mathematics through the 20 th century By the early 1970s, significant changes had occurred in federal civil rights laws governing the treatment of women in higher education. Title IX of the educational Amendment of 1972 required higher education institutions that received federal funding to treat women and men equally in admission, funding, and sports.

Women in Science and Mathematics through the 20 th century From 1973 to 1995 there was substantial growth in the representation of women in all broad fields of science and engineering. Women still continued to be significantly under represented in the field of mathematics, engineering, and physical sciences.

Women in Science and Mathematics through the 20 th century Lucy Stone was the first women to receive a baccalaureate degree in United States In 1847.(Solomon,43) By 1985, women received half of the bachelor’s degree among all fields. By the early 1980’s, women outnumbered men in undergraduate education.

Women in Science and Mathematics through the 20 th century By 1990 women represented 40 percent of undergraduate degree in Science & Engineering in US. By the early 1990s, science educators had become alarmed about the rate at which women and to a lesser extent men were abandoning science, math and engineering majors. Women were dropping out of these fields of study at a rate of 70% compared to a male dropout rate of 61% in national samples.

Women in Science and Mathematics through the 20 th century In 1995, Sixty percent of U.S. undergraduate students were women. From 1975 to 1995, the total number of baccalaureate degrees awarded to women increased by twenty-six percent. By 1996, Women earned 53% of undergraduate degrees in biology, 19%of physics degree, 46% in math and statistics, 28% in computer science, and 18% in engineering.

Doctoral Degrees in Science and Engineering The first doctoral degree in America was awarded to a man at Yale University in The first women received doctorate degree in America, fifteen years later was from Boston University in By the end of 19 th century, 9 percent of all PhD's had been awarded to women, with 228 women and 2,372 men receiving degrees. By 1997, women earned 41% of PhD's in biology and agricultural science, 23% of math PhD’s, 22% in physical sciences, 16% in computer science, and 12% of engineering doctorates in United States.

U.S. Education Science and Engineering Doctoral Degrees Percentage Earned by Women Field Natural Sciences934 Math & Computer Sciences622 Social & Behavioral Sciences1654 Engineering0.515

U.S. Engineering – 2004 Percentage of Women Bachelor Degrees20 Master Degrees22 Doctoral Degrees18 Workforce9

Doctoral Degrees in Science and Engineering The progress in doctoral degrees was not the same. By 1990 women were still less than 30 percent of the Ph.D.s in science and engineering fields. Overall, even with the significant gains that have been made, women continue to lag behind men, especially in science and engineering fields where the percent of degrees awarded to women remains substantially below 50 percent.