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 Service Committees for Research I Tenure and Tenure-Track Faculty: Men/Women
Appendix 4-9: Mean Salary by Gender and Professorial Rank for Tenure and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions
Appendix 4-10: Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions Receiving Summer Support
Appendix 4-11: Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions Receiving Travel Funds
Appendix 4-12: Median Square Footage of Lab Space of Faculty Who Report Doing Experimental Work
Appendix 4-13: Faculty Who Have Received More Lab Space Since Hire (Values Are Percentages)
Appendix 4-14: Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions Receiving Sufficient Equipment
Appendix 4-15: Number of Postdoctorate Students for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions (presented by Men and Women)
Appendix 4-16: Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions Receiving Sufficient Clerical Support
Appendix 4-17: Percentage of Faculty Members Stating That They Had a Mentor
Appendix 4-18: Distribution of the Number of Graduate Students for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions (presented by Men and Women)
Appendix 4-19: Mean Number of Articles Published in Refereed Journals (sole and co-authored) Over the Past 3 Years for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Research I Institutions
Appendix 4-20a: Estimated Probability of Having Grant Funding by Discipline, Gender, and Whether the Faculty Member Has an Assigned Mentor - Assistant Professors Only
Appendix 4-20b: Estimated Probability of Having Grant Funding by Discipline, Gender, and Whether the Faculty Member Has an Assigned Mentor - Associate Professors Only
Appendix 4-21: Percentage of Faculty Missing Salary Data by Gender and Discipline
Appendix 4-22: Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty at Research I Institutions That Were Nominated for at Least One Award
Appendix 4-23: Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Research I Faculty with Offers to Leave
Appendix 4-24: Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty at Research I Institutions Planning to Leave or Retire
Appendix 5-1: Knowledge of Tenure Procedures by Gender, Rank, and Presence of a Mentor
Appendix 5-2: Detailed Tenure Information from Departmental Survey
Appendix 5-3: Time Spent in Both Assistant and Associate Professorships
Appendix 5-4: Years Between Starting Employment and Achieving Associate Professor Status, by Gender
Appendix 5-5: Years Between Starting Employment and Achieving Full Professor Status, by Gender
Appendix 5-6: Patterns of Nonresponse for Tenure Decisions
Appendix 5-7: Patterns of Nonresponse for Promotion Decisions
Bibliography
Index