Women are narrowing the gender gap in college degrees typically considered male-dominated, like sciences, business and engineering, according to a USA Today analysis of new census data.
The number of women ages 25 to 39 who held degrees in science and engineering in 2009 was 47 percent, which is more than double that of women ages 65 and older. The number of women with business degrees also more than doubled in the younger generation, according to the analysis.
At the University, the gender ratio of graduates in business administration has remained fairly stable since 1984, the earliest year on record from the Office of Budget and Planning, with around 46 percent of women graduates.
Women graduating in basic sciences have increased from 38 percent in 1984 to 46 percent in 2010.
Michelle Massé, director of women’s and gender studies, said the census findings are likely the result of various factors.
In the past, women who excelled in STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — disciplines were not encouraged to pursue them, Massé said.
“When I was in school, I tested in the 95th percentile in math,” Massé said. “But their response to me was that I had tested out of math and would never have to take another math course again.”
But starting in the ’90s, Massé said society began inspiring women to enter those fields.
“You start looking around and you see the absence of women in certain fields, and instead of saying, ‘Women just don’t do those things,’ people started saying, ‘Why don’t women do those things?'” she said.
Massé said another contributing factor is cultural change.
“Women are moving out of certain assumed categories, and our culture is accepting that increasingly,” she said.
But gender differences still exist in certain fields. Female graduates from the College of Engineering have remained at around 15 percent since 1984, while women accounted for 80 percent of education degrees in 2010. About 88 percent of education degrees in 1984 went to women.
Massé said it can be hard for women to go into fields that are known for being male-dominated, especially when they are the first to do so.
“It’s hard to be the first one. There’s some extra baggage there,” she said. “For instance, if you’re a woman in construction, people will ask, ‘What kind of woman are you?'”
Sarah Jones, coordinator for programs at the Office for Diversity Programs in the College of Engineering, said the college offers programs designed to educate women about the field.
Jones said the college offers a summer camp for girls entering the ninth and 10th grades in which they visit campus and learn about different fields of engineering, get hands-on experience and meet with faculty members.
“We want to make sure they know about this particular pathway as a possible career choice,” Jones said of the girls who attend the camp.
Jones said women may shy away from engineering because they aren’t aware of all the different fields of study within the college.
“Women tend to gravitate toward degrees that are people oriented, and we want them to know that engineering can be very people oriented,” she said.
Jones said the Society of Women Engineers helps give women a better understanding of what it’s like to be in the workforce as a woman.
“A lot of women are guided by things they see other women do,” she said. “That’s why we try to provide role models in a variety of fields.”
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Contact Sarah Eddington at [email protected]