The Persistent Gender Gap in Degree Attainments in Science and Engineering

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has issued a new report on the progress of degree attainments in science and engineering fields during the 2004-to-2014 period. In this report, science and engineering degrees include the social sciences and psychology.

The report found that in 2014, 29 percent of all bachelor’s degrees earned by women were in science and engineering fields. For men the figure was 40 percent. Over the 10-year period, the percentage of all degrees that were in science and engineering increased two percentage points for men, but only one percentage point for women.

In 2014, women earned 49 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering. Women earned 43 percent of master’s degrees in these fields and 40 percent of all doctoral degrees in science and engineering.

The gaps are huge in some disciplines. In engineering, women earned only 19 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in 2014, down from 20 percent in 2004. In computer science, women early 18 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in 2014, compared to 23 percent in 2004. Women’s percentage of all bachelor’s degrees declined in the physical sciences, mathematics, and biological sciences during the 2004-to-2014 period.

The report, Science & Engineering Degree Attainment, 2004-2014, may be downloaded by clicking here.