Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING
Pages 41-56

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 41...
... by grouping institutions according to Federal R&D expenditures. The traditional benefits of postdoctoral study include freedom to do research without the pressures inherent in either graduate study or a first job, the expansion of research horizons, an opportunity to establish or expand publication records, and the broadening of professional contacts and personal exposure.
From page 42...
... Although the women were more likely to have had postdoctoral fellowships than the men, the male fellows received substantially more prestigious awards. Such indicators of predoctoral quality as caliber of undergraduate institution, prestige of doctoral department, elapsed time from baccalaureate, or productivity of Ph.D.
From page 43...
... . Based on Reskin's study dealing with chemistry, women postdoctorals may not have been viewed in the past as promising disciples because of their much lower likelihood of obtaining positions which would permit them to carry on independent research careers (Reskin, 1976; see also Chapter 4)
From page 44...
... It is apparent that the requirements of each field that encourage work at this level and the opportunities for postdoctoral study vary widely. A tabulation by sex and marital status of the 1970-1977 degree recipients who were planning postdoctoral study at the time they received their degrees sheds further light on factors associated with postdoctoral study (Table 3.2)
From page 45...
... Total Planning Postdoc All Fields 3956 26.3 1260 14.3 Math 95 11.4 11 8.6 Physics/ Astronomy 503 46.4 33 51.5 Chemistry 645 46.4 91 50.6 Earth Sciences 157 24.8 22 37.3 Engineering 380 14.8 12 16.3 Agricultural Sci. 110 12.7 13 20.6 Medical Sciences 201 39.7 61 37.0 Biological Sciences 1410 57.7 449 61.5 Psychology 301 16.0 162 15.0 Social Sciences 455 9.8 221 12.1 Definite Postdoc All Fields 2945 19.6 664 20.2 Math 61 7.3 3 2.3 Physics /Astronomy 372 34.3 18 28.1 Chemistry 498 35.8 68 37.8 Earth Sciences 112 17.7 18 30.5 Engineering 234 9.1 7 9.5 Agricultural Sci.
From page 46...
... recipients who either had definite commitments or were negotiating contracts at the time of graduation. Source: Survey of Earned Doctorates, 1970-1977, National Research Council.
From page 47...
... In several fields with very few women -- physics/astronomy, earth sciences, engineering, and agricultural sciences -- the percentages of women increased markedly over the four-year period so that there was a substantial difference between the sexes in 1977 but it should be noted that the numbers are very small. A similar pattern was observed in the social sciences, a field in which there are very few postdoctorals of either sex.
From page 48...
... For fields other than chemistry and biological sciences, the number of postdoctoral appointees was not sufficient to permit a break-out by institution group and sex. Source: Survey of Doctorate Recipients, National Research Council.
From page 49...
... Source: Survey of Doctorate Recipients, National Research Council The statistics in this table are weighted estimates derived from a sample survey of 65,000 Ph.D's in science and engineering. The estimates are subject to two types of error - sampling and non-sampling, (e.g., non-response bias)
From page 50...
... Further, systematic inequities are harder to uncover here than in readily visible criteria such as rank because salary information frequently remains private. Postdoctoral stipends are also subject to the normal economics of supply and demand, and to the exigencies of research support, so that they may vary quite significantly 50
From page 51...
... Postdoctoral appointment includes a postdoctoral fellowship, research associateship traineeship, or other study.
From page 52...
... No. Signed Planning Seeking Signed Contract Postdoctoral Postdoctoral s % With Signed Contract Sciences 1969 99 32 67 68% 3 2 1 33% 1971 132 48 84 64 9 4 5 56 1973 164 64 100 61 8 3 5 62 1975 145 51 94 65 7 3 4 57 1977 106 36 70 66 13 6 7 54 Total 646 231 415 64 40 18 22 55 Medical Sciences 1969 112 16 96 86% 15 4 11 73% 1971 136 20 116 85 25 6 19 76 1973 136 24 112 82 33 3 30 91 1975 157 21 136 87 32 5 27 84 1977 198 40 158 80 59 9 50 85 Total 739 121 618 84 164 27 137 84 Biological Sciences 1969 926 131 795 86% 232 41 191 82% 1971 1,301 218 1,083 83 279 63 216 77 1973 1,245 228 1,017 82 371 87 284 76 1975 1,308 230 1,078 82 471 97 374 79 1977 1,386 249 1,137 82 444 93 351 79 Total 6,166 1,056 5,110 83 1,797 381 1,416 79 Psychology 1969 168 30 138 82% 48 9 39 81% 1971 218 35 183 84 78 18 60 77 1973 201 46 155 77 98 24 74 76 1975 246 61 185 75 129 31 98 76 1977 293 83 210 72 155 50 105 68 Total 1,126 255 871 77 508 132 376 74 Social Sciences 1969 77 17 60 78% 4 2 2 50% 1971 82 24 58 71 19 10 9 47 1973 145 40 105 72 24 10 14 58 1975 95 34 61 64 48 22 26 54 1977 147 54 93 63 57 20 37 65 Total 546 169 377 69 152 64 88 58 Source: Survey of Earned Doctorates, National Research Council, 52
From page 53...
... Postdoctoral stipends for biomedical and behavioral scientists reported for 1976 { NRC, 1977, 2:131-2) showed considerable variation between the two areas; male postdoctorals in biomedical sciences earned 3.6 percent more TABLE 3.6 Trends in Postdoctoral Stipends for Doctoral Scientists and Engineers by Sex, 1973-1977 1973 Median Annual Stipendro1r o 1975 Men Women Men Women 1977 Men Women Number of *
From page 54...
... Conclusions and Recommendations A postdoctoral appointment is an important career stage intended as a springboard, but it is not clear that it yields the same results for women as for men. The responsibility for achieving maximal benefits from postdoctoral appointments rests individually with postdoctoral sponsors and collectively with science departments, and must be shared by women scientists themselves in a heightened awareness that decisions made at this career stage may have very far-reaching consequences.
From page 55...
... Women who do not consider themselves primary wage earners or who lack alternatives may accept low offers more readily than men. Some of the differential we see in the data may be due to dependents' allowances provided in many kinds of fellowships; past experience suggests that women may not claim such allowances if they have employed husbands, or may not be granted them in such cases.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.