women, retire. On the other hand, in other departments, women students 

 reported that fellow men students were hostile to women and made it very 

 uncomfortable for women to pursue their studies. Students and faculty 

 we talked with reported that deans, department chairs, and other officials 

 were attempting to bring about positive change for women on their 

 campuses, but that progress would be slow. 



Some Agencies and 

 Grantees Have 

 Activities That May 

 Foster Greater 

 Participation in the 

 Sciences by Women 



We found several examples of grant-making agencies that have instituted 

 policies and practices designed to foster greater participation by women in 

 the sciences. While some of the policies and practices are aimed at 

 encouraging more women to pursue and to persist in education in the 

 sciences, others provide time off and fewer teaching duties so junior 

 faculty can balance work and family life while beginning a university 

 career. Finally, a few policies and practices seek to expand the recruiting 

 pool for jobs in the sciences and make them more attractive to women. 



Grant-Making Agency 

 Includes Evaluation 

 Criteria to Encourage 

 Greater Participation in 

 the Sciences 



NSF, as part of its formal evaluation of grant appUcations, uses a "second 

 criterion," the impact of the project on U.S. society. NSF makes a 

 particular effort to recruit reviewers, experts in the substantive area of the 

 proposal, from nonacademic institutions, minority-serving institutions, anid 

 discipUnes closely related to the one addressed in the proposal. These 

 reviewers evaluate grant proposals based on two merit criteria: first, what 

 is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity; second, what are the 

 broader societal impacts of the proposed activity. This second criterion 

 includes promoting teaching, broadening the participation of 

 underrepresented groups, and enhancing research infrastructure, such as 

 facilities and partnerships, as well as the integration of diversity into NSF 

 projects, and research mentoring, particularly for students typically 

 underrepresented in the sciences. 



Projects meeting NSF's societal impact criterion may increase interest in 

 the sciences among students or provide valuable experience to a diverse 

 group of researchers, but to date there has not been a full evaluation of 

 this criterion. Beyond the first year of graduate school, science education 

 is largely laboratory centered. NSF grantees may take more care to include 

 graduate students or other researchers from diverse backgroimds as staff 

 on their projects. This could help ensure that women and minorities can 

 get the training and experience they need to complete advanced degrees 

 and work in an academic environment. However, the effects of 

 implementing the second criterion have yet to be fuUy evaluated. A review 



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GAO-04-639 Gender Issues 



