According to a new study from New York University, the gender gap in students studying physics, engineering, and computer science (PECS) varies significantly depending on the selectiveness of American universities. The study found the most selective institutions in the country have made progress towards closing the PECS gender gap. However, that gap has widened significantly at the country’s least selective universities.
The authors examined data from the United States Department of Education on over 34 million bachelor’s degrees awarded between 2002 and 2022. Institutions with an average student math SAT score of 770 or more are considered highly selective institutions, while universities with average student math SAT scores around 450 are considered less selective.
Among highly selective universities, the gender gap in students studying PECS shrunk from a ratio of 2 men to every 1 woman in 2002 to 3 men for every 2 women in 2022. In comparison, the PECS gender gap at less selective institutions widened from 3 men to every 1 woman in 2002 to 7 men for every 1 woman in 2022. Despite the improvements in gender equity at the country’s top universities, women of color studying PECS remain underrepresented at all institutions.
The authors also found that other STEM disciplines, such as life sciences, have primarily reached gender parity at the majority of American postsecondary institutions, suggesting additional support is needed for women students studying PECS. They urge institutions to use these findings to create targeted interventions aimed at recruiting more women students, particularly women of color, into PECS programs.