Percent distribution of women scientists and 

 engineers, by field, 1974''^ 



Field Percent of total 



Psychologists 28 



Social scientists 21 



Mathematical scientists 15 



Life scientists 13 



Computer scientists 12 



Physical scientists 8 



Environmental scientists 3 



Engineers 1 



Women scientists and engineers were most 

 likely to be involved in psychology and the social 

 sciences, and least likely to work in engineering 

 and in the environmental and physical sciences. 



A somewhat different pattern of employment 

 of women scientists and engineers exists in the 

 academic sector. In 1974, 15 percent of the 

 scientists and engineers employed full-time''^ at 

 colleges and universities were women; 16 

 percent of the scientists and 1 percent of the 

 engineers. The proportion of women in each 

 field of science varies widely, as shown in the 

 table below. 



Women comprise 21 percent of both the life 

 scientists and the psychologists, but less than 10 

 percent of both the physical and environmental 

 scientists. In the case of doctorate-granting 

 institutions alone, the level of employment of 

 women is somewhat lower than in colleges and 

 universities as a whole. 



Women in graduate education 



An increasing number of women are pursuing 

 advanced studies in science and engineering 

 (figure 5-23). Between 1965 and 1974, the 

 number of women receiving doctoral degrees in 

 science and engineering increased by almost 250 

 percent, from 744 to 2,590. This absolute 

 growth also represents an increase in the share 

 of science and engineering doctorates earned by 

 women, the proportion growing from 7 percent 

 in 1965 to 14 percent in 1974. By 1974, women 

 were awarded 24 percent of the doctorates in the 

 social sciences, and 18 percent in the life sciences, 

 but 10 percent or less in the mathematical 

 sciences, physical sciences and engineering. ■»<' 

 The proportion of women students enrolled for 



Full-time women scientists and engineers employed 

 by universities and colleges, by field, 1974''^ 



Field 

 All scientists and engineers 



Engineers 



Physical scientists 



Chemists 



Physicists 



Other physical scientists 

 Environmental scientists'^ . 

 Mathematical scientists . . . 

 Life scientists 



Agriculture 



Biological 



Medical 



Psychologists 



Social scientists 



<2 National Science Foundation, special tabulations. 



■>■' Data for part-time women scientists and engineers are 

 not available. 



" Manpower Resources for Scientific Aclwilies al Unwersilies and 

 Colleges. January 1974, Detailed Statistical Tables, National 

 Science Foundation (NSF 75-300-A). 



'5 Includes earth scientists, oceanographers, and at- 

 mospheric scientists. 



'" For further, more recent information on this topic see 

 Joseph L. McCarthy and Dael Wolfle, "Doctorates Granted 

 to Women and Minority Group Members", Science, Vol. 189, 

 (1975), pp 856-859. 



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