Whatever the exact percentages are (e.g., the subject of this and earlier emails), the essential message is that things are better for women than they were twenty, twenty-five, or thirty years ago, BUT they are still not all that great. While the number of women and the percentage of women earning B.A. degrees in mathematics are both up, and the number of women with tenure-track positions at research institutions is indeed higher than it was, there is still a huge disparity. It is still true that, given the same age and ability level, women are more likely to get a master's degree, leave and take a teaching position at a school or community college, while men are more likely to get a Ph.D. and secure a teaching position at a regional university. Biology is a factor, but it isn't the whole story, by a long chalk. Many of the pressures are insidious, subtle, and not measurable.
My daughter's experience is totally different from mine (she's 27, very bright, not a mathematician, has gone to elite east coast universities--the rules really are different there...); she doesn't have the same pressures I had to get married, support a husband, produce babies, etc., and for this I'm extremely grateful. And still, the fact is that if you go to the meeting of a state community college mathematics association (e.g., an AMATYC affiliate), the population is still primarily female; if you go to the meeting of a state or regional MAA section, which attracts mostly mathematics faculty from regional (non-research I) universities, the population is still mostly male.
I realize I am making broad generalizations here. I would suggest, however, that there is more driving this than biology....
Cheers, Lillie
________________________________
From: rume-bounces@betterfilecabinet.com on behalf of Richard Hake
Sent: Sat 5/20/2006 7:15 PM
To: Rume@betterfilecabinet.com
Cc: wiphys@aps.org; POD@LISTSERV.ND.EDU; phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu; math-learn@yahoogroups.com; PHYSLRNR@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: [RUME] Women Earn 46% of Undergraduate Math Degrees but Represent Only 8% of Math Professors ??
As reported by Rick Reis (2006) in Tomorrow's Professor, Message
#717, "Proof and Prejudice: Women in Mathematics," Lisa Trie (2006)
in the "Stanford Report of 15 February 2006 wrote:
"According to [Londa] Schiebinger, women earn 46 percent of
undergraduate math degrees in this country but represent only 8
percent of math professors."
I relayed a portion of Trei's report to Math-Learn, Phys-L, PhysLrnR,
POD, and RUME, including the above statement attributed to
Schiebinger.
But in a recent RUME (Research in Undergraduate Mathematics) post
Cathy Kessel (2006), President-Elect of the Association for Women in
Mathematics <http://www.awm-math.org/>, wrote [bracketed by lines
"KKKKKKKKKK. . . ."; my CAPS; slightly edited]:
KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
I WONDER IF SOME CONTEXT GOT LOST FROM SCHIEBINGER'S STATEMENT, MAYBE
SHE MEANT SOMETHING LIKE "PROFESSORS AT RESEARCH 1 UNIVERSITIES"?
In mathematics departments, tenure-eligible college faculty members
are 31% female, other full-time faculty members are 47% female, and
tenured faculty members are 17% female (Lutzer, Maxwell, & Rodi,
2002). In the "top 10" mathematics departments, there are
approximately 300 tenured faculty members; 16 of them are female
(Jackson, 2004).
Somewhat related is the episode of "The Simpsons" that is supposed to
air on April 30 is called "Girls Just Want to Have Sums" and is to
discuss women in
mathematics: <http://www.mathsci.appstate.edu/~sjg/simpsonsmath//sums.html>.
KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
And on Apr 26 19:10:08 EDT 2006, Patricia Hale, in the Math Dept. at
Cal Poly Pomona posted on the RUME list:
"Another possibility is that [Schiebinger] simply meant only 8% of
full professors. The AMS data for 2004 indicates that 16% of tenured
faculty are women (combining Groups I, II, III, Va, M & B). I am
pretty sure the percentage for full professors is lower than the
percentage for Associate and Full combined."
Londa Schiebinger has not responded to a 26 April 2006 request for
clarification. I wonder if anyone has any further ideas on what Londa
Schiebinger might have meant?