PandA Diversity – Statistics Overview

• Gender and minority statistics for undergraduate and graduate degrees and academic employment

• Statistics on Employment in the Physical Sciences

• Some results from Social Psychology studies

Plot from www.aip.org/statistics

Plot from www.aip.org/statistics

All fields: 57 % in 2000 45 % in 2006

Attrition between B.S. and Ph.D. degrees (“Leaky Pipeline”)

Physics: 22% B.S. in 2000 to 17% Ph.D. in 2006 This trend continues to assistant and tenured professor

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 20080

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Bachelors AstronomyBachelors PhysicsDoctorate AstronomyDoctorate Physics

Percent of Women earning Physics and Astronomy degrees

Data from Tables 5-3, 5-4, 7-2, and 7-4 www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/tables.cfm

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 20080.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

% Black Physics% Hispanic Physics% Black Astronomy% Hispanic Astronomy

Percent of Physics and Astronomy Bachelors

Undergrad Minority Representation

Data from Table 5-3 www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/tables.cfm

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 20080.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

% Black Physics% Hispanic Physics% Black Astronomy% Hispanic Astronomy

Percent of Physics and Astronomy Doctorates

Graduate Minority Representation

Data from Table 7-4 www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/tables.cfm

President, provost, chancellor

Dean, department head, chair

Research faculty

Teaching faculty

Adjunct faculty

Postdoc

Research assistant

Teaching assistant

Other

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

% Female

% Male

Gender Representation in 2008, by Academic Position

Data from Table 9-22 www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/tables.cfm

President, provost, chancellor

Dean, department head, chair

Research faculty

Teaching faculty

Adjunct faculty

Postdoc

Research assistant

Teaching assistant

Other

0102030405060708090

100

WhiteAsianBlackHispanic

Race/Ethnicity Representation in 2008, by Academic Position

Data from Table 9-22 www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/tables.cfm

Employment Statistics: Questions• Do women and minorities in physical sciences seek different types

of employment from men/non-minorities?

• For scientists in tenure-track positions at universities and colleges, are tenure rates the same for men and women, minorities and majorities?

• Are the reasons for unemployment and part-time employment the same?

• What are the median salaries of women and minorities vs men in physical sciences?

S&E doctorate holders in jobs at a university or 4-year college in the physical sciences

Tenure rates of S&E doctorate holders employed as scientists at a university or 4-year college in tenure-applicable jobs

Unemployment rates of scientistsand engineers, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2006

URM=under-represented minority

Reasons for unemployment of scientistsand engineers, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2006

Part-time employment rates of scientistsand engineers, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2006

Reasons for part-time employment of scientistsand engineers, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2006

Employment status of spouses of employed S&E doctorate holders, by sex: 2001

Median salary of scientists and engineers at Universities or 4-year collegesby gender, race/ethnicity, and years since doctorate

Results of studies from social psychology

Source: Spencer, S. J., Steele, C. M., & Quinn, D. M., 1999, "Stereotype threat and women's math performance," Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 35(1), p. 13.

Stereotype Threat

Stereotype Threat Condition: participants are told that the test had shown gender differences in the past.

Reinforcing stereotypes can create real differences in performance.

Performance on a Challenging Math Test, by Stereotype Threat Condition and Gender

Different StandardsStudents’ Standards for Their Own Performance, by Gender

Source: Correll, S.J., 2004, “Constraints into preferences: Gender, status, and emerging career aspirations,” American Sociological Review, 69, p. 106, Table 2.

Respondents were asked: “How high would you have to score to be convinced that you have high ability at this task?”

When participants are told “Men are better at this task,” women hold themselves to a higher standard.

Stereotypes can increase feelings of being “not good enough.”

Unconscious Bias

Even people who consciously reject negative stereotypes can still hold those beliefs at an unconscious level.

You can discover your own biases at: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/

We will be hosting an expert in this field, Dr. Abby Stewart, here at JHU who will give a talk on the subject at the end of March. Stay tuned!

Unconscious Bias: Studies• Search committee for assistant professor prefers Brian to Karen 2:1 even

though their application packages are exactly the same. (Steinpreis, Anders, & Ritzke (1999) Sex Roles, 41, 509)

• Mother (active in PTA) vs. non-mother applications evaluated as less competent, called back half as often, offered lower starting salaries. Father vs. non-father applications seen as more committed to paid work and offered higher starting salaries. (Correll, Benard and Paik (2007) American Journal of Sociology, 112 (5), 1297-1338)

• Letters of Recommendation show gender differences. Letters for women are shorter, have more references to personal life, and contain more “doubt raisers” such as: “It’s amazing how much she’s accomplished.” “It appears her health is stable.” “She is close to my wife.” (Trix & Psenka (2003) Discourse & Society, Vol 14(2): 191-220)

The End!

We will be putting these slides on our website at pha.jhu.edu/~nuala