Women in Science and Engineering: Increasing Their Numbers in the 1990s A Statement on Policy and Strategy (1991) / Chapter Skim
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5. Measurement for Scientific and Engineering Human Resources
5. Measurement for Scientific and Engineering Human Resources
Pages 91-104
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From page 91... ...
Education Infrastructure As noted in Chapter 2, both formal and informal mechanisms encourage females to pursue the education they need to become practicing scientists and engineers. Data and analysis of their effectiveness are both inadequate, but existing data do show that: The entry of women into higher education, in general, grew by 41 percent between 1970 and 1983 and accounted for 52 percent of 1989 bachelor's degree recipients.
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From page 92... ...
, longitudinal data are not currently collected on continuation rates by field from undergraduate degree completion to graduate enrollment, although such data are necessary in order to create a supportive campus climate and devise appropriate intervention strategies. Overall comparisons for Ph.D.
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From page 93... ...
In its role as a monitor of the progress of women in science and engineering, the Committee will examine how women fare in various financial aid programs available at the undergraduate and graduate levels of the education pipeline. Quantitative data are also lacking on informal mechanisms within the S&E education infrastructure.
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From page 94... ...
In fact, a comprehensive search for research in the area of mentoring yielded no studies focusing solely on these disciplines; rather, most research to date has examined the mentor-protege relationship in the fields of education and business administration. The 1989 NAS report, On Being a Scientist, found that mentors can be quite influential on one's career advancement, but no findings from quantitative research are readily available to support or refute the anecdotal evidence submitted by eminent members of the S&E comstood more thoroughly.
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From page 95... ...
One aspect of the campus environment requiring greater data collection and analysis is advising protocols as evaluated by female students how are their majors and degree objectives chosen, for instance, and what degrees are chosen? Intervention Models Some organizations within the S&E community have taken actions to encourage more women to pursue careers in the sciences and engineering, and these interventions have had a positive effect (GUIRR, 1987~.
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From page 97... ...
Few intervention programs have been sustained for a period long enough to permit evaluation, reap maximum benefits, and allow for institutionalization and replication of successful programs. The 1991 AAAS study (Matyas and Malcom)
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From page 98... ...
Naff, project manager, this study will oversample federally employed scientists and engineers, both male and female, in an attempt to more accurately portray the status and role of women scientists and engineers in federal agencies. Career Patterns Data on the career patterns of women scientists and engineers are somewhat more obtainable, a necessity if policy makers are to effect changes that will increase their participation in the S&E work force.
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From page 99... ...
The proceedings of that workshop, because of their analytical nature, have been used widely by policy makers in both government and industry to assess actions that might be taken to recruit and retain future women into S&E careers. The Committee on Women in Science and Engineering plans to rely on currently available data in several studies to address issues of the employment of women in science and engineering.
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From page 100... ...
. Has the distribution of employment of women by sector changed in the past decade, e.g., do universities currently employ a higher proportion of the employed women Ph.D.s?
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From page 101... ...
scientists and engineers has grown sharply. The Committee will use data currently available from the Survey of Doctorate Recipients and Survey of Earned Doctorates to analyze such issues as the following: *
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From page 102... ...
The Committee on Women in Science and Engineering believes that further progress in increasing the participation of women in science and engineering will depend heavily on making available timely and carefully analyzed data about their career status, and it will devote much effort to securing and publishing such information. Priority Issues To permit rigorous analysis of issues related to the recruitment, education, and employment of women in science and engineering, it will be necessary to foster the development of suitable measures.
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From page 103... ...
With regard to issues affecting career patterns, finer measures of labor force adjustment are needed, including the ultimate disposition of postdoctoral personnel. The Committee on Women in Science and Engineering plans to foster the development of these measures by facilitating the establishment of a central data-collection network and encouraging the exchange of recruitment and retention data among institutions both those educating scientists and engineers and those employing this talented work force (colleges and universities, industry, and government agencies)
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From page 104... ...
Through meetings with data-base administrators and users, as well as by undertaking its own research that relies on information collected in national and institutional data bases, the Committee proposes to answer these questions.
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