having women mentors, who served as role models, was important for 

 women considering careers in the sciences. Some pointed out that with 

 few faculty women in some departments in the sciences, it was hard for 

 women students to find women mentors. 



However, we found that women who begin college with an engineering, 

 mathematics, or science m^or had similar rates of completing a bachelors 

 degree within 6 years as their male coimterparts, according to the 

 Begirming Postsecondary Students (BPS) Longitudinal Study. About 

 65 percent of women did so in 2001, while 18 percent were still enrolled at 

 the end of 6 years and about 17 percent left coUege without a degree. 

 Comparably, about 62 percent of men completed a bachelors degree 

 within 6 years, while about 19 percent were still enrolled at the end of 

 6 years and about 19 percent left coUege without a degree. Women who 

 begin coUege with majors in the sciences had higher rates of completing a 

 degree in 6 years than women who started coUege with other majors or 

 undeclared majors. (See app. V for the enroUment status in 2001 of 

 students who began postsecondary education in 1995, by type of initial 

 major and sex.) 



Page 20 GAO-04-639 Gender Issues 



