The Gender Gap in Advanced Placement Program Participation

fbook_AP-logoThe College Board recently released data on participation in the Advanced Placement program at U.S. high schools during the 2014-15 academic year. Advanced Placement courses are designed to mirror college-level work.

That year there were 1,387,816 women who took AP examinations. They made up 55.9 percent of the students who took one or more AP exams. All told women took 2,438,685 AP examination. This was 54.4 percent of all AP exams.

The data shows a wide disparity in the percentage of women who take particular AP examinations. Women make up a very large percentage of all AP test takers on subjects such as studio art, French, Spanish, and art history. But women are only a small minority of all test takers in disciplines such as physics and computer science. In computer science there has been some progress. Three years ago, women took 19 percent of the AP exams in computer science. This year the figure rose to 22 percent.

Here is a list of the different subjects that are part of the Advanced Placement program and the percentage of all AP test takers who were women.

Women AP

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

Latest News

Robin Lynn Cautin Named the Eleventh President of Regis College in Massachusetts

Dr. Cautin, provost of Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, brings over two decades of higher education experience to her new role as president of Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts. She is slated to begin her presidency on July 1.

Antonia Maioni Named the First Woman President of John Cabot University

John Cabot University is a private American University based in Rome, Italy. Dr. Maioni, currently a professor at McGill University in Canada, is slated to become John Cabot's first woman president on July 1.

Michele Murray Appointed President of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities

The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities is a national organization that supports Jesuit higher education institutions in the United States, Belize, and Canada. Dr. Murray, who currently serves as senior vice president for student development and mission at the College of the Holy Cross, is slated to become the association's next president on June 2.

Alicia Slater Appointed Provost at Rollins College in Florida

Dr. Slater comes to her new role from Marist University in Poughkeepsie, New York, where she has been serving as senior associate provost, dean of science, and professor of biology.

Emelyn A. dela Peña to Lead the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education

Dr. Peña brings over three decades of higher education experience to her new role as president and CEO of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. Her background includes key leadership roles with several universities across the country.

Communications Publications Editorial Manager (Website Content Manager)

The Website Content Manager serves as the primary website lead for the College, collaborating with team members across design, marketing, multimedia, public relations, and government affairs.

Assistant Senior Instructional Professor in the Social Sciences Core (Social Science Inquiry)

The Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago is now accepting applications for a full-time Assistant Senior Instructional Professor who will teach in and contribute to the management and administration of the Social Science Inquiry sequence in the Social Sciences Core.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Media Studies

The Department of Cinema & Media Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia invites applications for a one-year Visiting Assistant Professor position in the field of media studies.

Instructional Professor in Law, Letters, and Society (Open Rank)

The Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago is now accepting applications for a full-time Instructional Professor who will teach in the program in Law, Letters, and Society.

Assistant Professor AC Track Assistant Director of Clinical Chemistry Laboratory – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania seek candidates for an Assistant Professor position in the non-tenure academic clinician track. Expertise is required in the specific area of Clinical Chemistry.