A new study from New York University has uncovered conflicting trends in the gender gap of students majoring in various STEM fields at colleges and universities in the United States. As the country’s top universities have begun to increase their share of women STEM majors, the gender gap is quickly growing at less selective institutions.
The authors examined data on more than 34 million bachelor’s degrees in the fields of physics, engineering, and computer science that were awarded between 2002 and 2022. Historically, male students have been significantly more likely to study in these fields than their women peers.
Among highly selective institutions – where incoming students have an average math SAT score of around 770 – the gender gap in students studying these historically male-dominated fields has noticeably improved over the past two decades. In 2002, there were roughly 2.2 men per every woman majoring in these fields at top universities. By 2022, this gap shrunk to roughly 1.5 men per every woman.
The authors found the opposite trend at schools whose incoming students had an average math SAT score around 450. In 2002, these less selective schools had about 3.5 men per every woman studying physics, engineering, or computer science. Twenty years later, the gap rose significantly to 7 men per every woman.
Notably, the authors highlight that women of color continue to remain significantly underrepresented in physics, engineering, and computer science, even at institutions where the gender balance is improving. To reverse these negative trends, the authors suggest federal, state, and local programs aimed at improving gender diversity in STEM should allocate more resources to less selective institutions. They also suggest that increasing faculty gender diversity and expanding partnerships between colleges and organizations dedicated to advancing women’s equality could encourage more women to pursue STEM degrees.