WISELI BIBLIOGRAPHY
Organized by Subject
Updated June 20, 2007

Surveys

Armenti, Carmen. "May Babies and Posttenure Babies: Maternal Decisions of Women Professors." The Review of Higher Education 27, no. 2 (Winter 2004): 211-31.
Available online
Notes: Examines the decisions women faculty make about the timing of childbearing.
Abstract: "This research explores the maternal and career progression decisions of different generations of women professors in Canada. Nineteen women, interviewed in-depth, reveal how they carefully plan childbearing and childrearing experiences around their demanding work schedules, by having May babies or posttenure babies." The author advocates for a restructuring of the male-gendered notion of faculty positions and argues alternative models of academic careers are needed to open family choices to women faculty.

Austin, Ann E. "Understanding and Assessing Faculty Cultures and Climates." in Providing Useful Infomation for Deans and Department Chairs ed., Mary K. Kinnick, 47-63. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1994.
Abstract: "To lead their units, make good decisions, and support the work of their faculties, deans and chairs must assess and understand faculty culture and climate. . . . This chapter explains both the conceptual notions of faculty culture, . . . why it is important for administrators to explore the faculty cultures and climates of departments, schools, and colleges [and] describes ways in which institutional researchers, deans, and department chairpersons can assess and understand faculty culture and climate."

AWIS, Surveys for Faculty, Graduate Students, (unpublished).

Available online
Notes: Climate Surveys
Abstract: AWIS provides Climate Surveys for Undergraduates, Graduates, Post-doctoral students, and Faculty. Institutions may register with AWIS in order to examine survey results for their institution.

Bayer, Alan E. and Helen E. Astin. "Sex Differences in Academic Rank and Salary Among Science Doctorates in Teaching." The Journal of Human Resources 3, no. 2 (Spring 1968): 191-200.
Available online
Notes: Women academics in the natural and social sciences are promoted about as quickly as men but their salaries are persistently lower.
Abstract: "Employment information, reported by approximately 2,700 recent science doctorates to the 1964 National Register of Scientific and Technical Personnel, indicates that the beginning academic rank of new scientists in college and university teaching positions is unrelated to sex. Over time, women in the natural sciences continue to receive promotions comparable to those of their male cohorts. However, women in the social sciences tend to be promoted less rapidly than men. Salary differentials, on the other hand, exist in both beginning and later academic positions, regardless of major field specialty, work setting, or academic rank. These data support the contentions of women doctorates that salary discrimination is practiced more severely than is discrimination regarding tenure or promotions."

Belden Russonello & Stewart. The Climate for Women on the Faculty at UCSF: Report of findings from a survey of faculty membersWashington, D.C.: Belden Russonello & Stewart, 2002.
Available online
Notes: Status report of women at UCSF, an academic medical institution.

Brown, F. William and Dan Moshavi. "Herding Academic Cats: Faculty Reaction to Transformational and Contingent Reward Leadership by Department Chairs." Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies 8, no. 3 (Winter 2002): 79-95.
Available online
Notes: Survey of 440 university faculty in 70 academic departments revealed that transformational leadership was more effective than transactional leadership
Abstract: A study involving 440 university faculty members in 70 different academic departments explored the relationship between transformational and contingent reward leadership behaviors by university department chairs and faculty satisfaction with supervision, willingness to expend extra effort and organizational effectiveness. Results indicated that the idealized influence (charisma) factor of transformational leadership was significantly more predictive of desired organizational outcomes than has been reported in other settings. Surprisingly, contingent reward was not predictive in this setting. The unique characterics of the employment arrangements and psychological contract between faculty and their institutions may make charismatic, relationship-oriented leadership a key determinant of department chair effectiveness.

Chesley, Kate. "Stanford releases findings of three-year study on status of women faculty." [http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/2004/womenrelease-527.html].
Notes: Report on Status of Women faculty at Stanford University
Abstract: "A three-year study comparing women and men faculty members at Stanford shows no significant gender differences for the university as a whole in measures of overall satisfaction or in non-salary compensation and support in most parts of the university. The report also pointed out areas within the university in which some disparities, while not indicative of overall patterns, nevertheless warranted further research."

Cockrell, Cathy. "Faculty 'Climate Survey' -- the Results Are in." Berkeleyan (Berkeley, CA), 8 Oct. 2004.
Available online
Notes: Campus news article reviews the findings of Berekely's climate survey and reports that women and minority faculty believe mentoring URMs is undervalued.

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art and The Albert Nerken School of Engineering. The Cooper Union 1989 National Survey of Undergraduate Women Engineering StudentsNew York: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, 1989.
Notes: National survey of 4,000 undergraduate members of the Society of Women Engineers, conducted in 1989.
Abstract: Report summarizes the findings of the Cooper Union's national survey of undergraduate women engineering students. Survey covers topics including: demographics, career expectations, engineering education, personal profile, and gender issues. Concluding remarks advocate improving resources for women students in engineering and improving the gender climate in engineering education.

________. The Cooper Union 1989 National Survey of Women EngineersNew York: 1989.
Notes: Survey of 4,000 members of the Society of Women Engineers taken in 1989.
Abstract: Report summarizes the findings of the Cooper Union's 1989 survey of working women engineers. Topics covered include: demographic issues, career profiles, gender issues in the work place, personal profiles, and marriage & the family. Concluding remarks highlight the prevalence of gender discrimination in the work place, problems women engineers experience balancing work & family, and the importance of increasing the numbers of female engineering role models in factilitating the education & sucess of more women engineers.

Crittenden, Kathleen S. and Mary Glenn Wiley. "Causal Attribution and Behavioral Response to Failure." Social Psychology Quarterly 43, no. 3 (Sept. 1980): 353-58.
Available online
Notes: Different attribution processes lead men and women academics to respond to failure differently.
Abstract: "This paper uses a survey of social science authors to address the link between causal attribution of a "real" achievement event and future behavior. The achievement event studied is the decision of a refereed journal not to publish a submitted paper. Using regression procedures designed to handle interaction effects, we relate author's attributions, sex, professional status variables, and past experience to immediate publication strategy following the rejection. We find that this behavioral response is directly influenced by past experience, and, among women, the stability of causes attributed for the rejection. Sex interacts with stability attribution and status in predicting whether an author will continue trying to publish the paper."

Delgado, Ray. "Sucesses, Challenges Seen in Report on Women Faculty." Stanford Report (June 2004).
Available online
Notes: Summary of report on status of women faculty at Stanford University; notes significant progress and takes a generally positive outlook.
Abstract: "A three-year study comparing female and male faculty members shows no significant gender-based differences in measures of either overall satisfaction or in non-salary compensation and support in most parts of the university. ...The representation of women is still low, especially women of color, in certain fields and among the most highly compensated full professors. Women reported feeling excluded and undervalued in certain disciplines and schools and reported expereincing difficulty reconciling personal and professional needs that are compounded by financial pressures of living in the Bay Area and inadequate childcare options."

Denton, Margaret and Isik Urla Zeytinoglu. "Perceived Participation in Decision-Making in a University Setting: The Impact of Gender." Industrial and Labor Relations Review 46, no. 2 (Jan. 1993): 320-331.
Available online
Notes: Women faculty members are less likely to feel they are participants in university decision-making.
Abstract: "This analysis of responses to a 1988 survey of full-time faculty at a medium-sized university in central Canada indicates that women were less likely than men to perceive themselves as participating in university decision-making, even with controls for other relevant variables. Academic rank, visible or ethnic minority status, and membership in networks were also influential. No significant effect was found for the possession of a Ph.D., the amount of teaching experience, the possession of tenure, having a mentor, or the proportion of women in the division's faculty."

Drew, Todd L. and Gerald G. Work. "Gender-Based Differences in Perception of Experiences in Higher Education: Gaining a Broader Perspective." Journal of Higher Education 69, no. 5 (1998): 542-55.
Available online
Notes: Presents study results showing that female students do not experience a chilly climate.
Abstract: This study provides a broader perspective on the "chilly classroom climate" question. Female students in our sample were not found to be suffering from a chilly climate in higher education. In fact, women reported experiences and gains from college equivalent to or in many cases exceeding those of men.

Foster, Sharon W. et al. "Results of a Gender-Climate and Work-Environment Survey at a Midwestern Academic Health Center." Academic Medicine 75, no. 6 (June 2000): 653-60.
Notes: Women faculty at UW Medical school perceive that gender climate impedes their advancement.
Abstract: Presents results of a 115 item questionnaire distributed to all UW Medical School faculty to assess their perceptions of mentoring, networking, professional environment, obstacles to a successful academic career, and reasons for considering leaving academic medicine. Based on a response rate of 61%, the authors conclude that women faculty perceived that gender climate created specific, serious obstacles to their professional development. The authors further conclude that many of these obstacles are remediable and that medical school can improve the climate and retain and promote women by more inclusive networking, attention to meeting times and child care, and improved professional interactions between men and women faculty.

Fox, Mary Frank and Vincent C. Ferri. "Women, Men, and Their Attributions for Sucess in Academe." Social Psychology Quarterly 55, no. 3 (Sept. 1992): 257-71.
Available online
Notes: Women in academia are more likely to attribute sucess to structural or external varriables, suggesting that policies to improve faculty sucess should address climate issues.
Abstract: "In such a visibly hierarchical and success-oriented arena as academe, attributions for success are highly salient. These attributions represent explanations of, and often justifications for, social inequality. We employ data from a national survey of academics in four major fields to analyze the explanations by academics to account for the success of the best-known people in their fields. More specifically, We analyze the way in which those explanations vary between academic women and academic men. We find that women make weaker internal attributions than do men. Although significant, that overall sex difference is modest, and it does not persist with controls for social locations and conditions (occupational settings, status, networks and roles, and major departments). The sex difference in external attributions is greater: women make significantly stronger external (structural) attributions than do men, a sex difference that does not owe to women's and men's comparative social locations and conditions. We offer two possible explanations for this sex difference: 1) women's greater awareness of external barriers and 2) the noncomparability of social locations for women and for men, even when they are reported to be the same. In conclusion, we discuss the significance of attributions for macro-level, organizational responses, including equal opportunity policies and solutions to increase rates of faculty members' success."

George, Yolanda S. and et al. In Pursuit of a Diverse Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Workforce: Recommended Research Priorities to Enhance Participation by Underrepresented MinoritiesWashington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Sceince, 2001.
Available online
Notes: Report identifies strategic priorities for research on diversity participation in science and engineering education.
Abstract: Increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities in science and engineering is important for maintaining the US's lead in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. A survey of the existing research highlights what is currently known about factors that have contributed to low science and engineering education participation among African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans. Several problems within the exisiting research are identified and suggestions are provided for furture research. These include: improving research methodologies, improving linkages between studies, and exploring new research areas. The report concludes by noting that improved research should help to advance the goal of increasing minority participation in science and engineering.

Gmelch, Walter H. and John S. Burns. "Sources of Stress for Academic Department Chairpersons." Journal of Educational Administration 32, no. 1 (1994): 79-85.
Available online
Notes: Study utilizes data collected from a survey of faculty and administrators at research and doctoral-granting institutions to analyze the factors associated with department chair stress. Results suggest that chair-stress is rather homogenous and revolves around their role as a mediator of conflicts between individuals, department, and institution. Conclusion suggests strategies for intervention.
Abstract: Separately, neither the Rasch (1986) nor Gmelch (1989) studies reflect the dual roles of higher education department chairs as both faculty and administrators. The purpose of each of their studies was to assess the stress related to only faculty functions and administrative functions, respectively, but not the dual faculty-administrative profile postulated about department chair stress. A study is presented that attempts to overcome this limitation. Through combining the faculty and administrative stress studies to investigate the potential dual role of chair stress, a remediable oversight in the Rasch research can be overcome. In addition, the study explored the possible relationships between chair stress dimensions and chairs' discipline and personal attributes. Over 800 department chairs, stratified by discipline, were selected from research and doctorate granting institutions and completed the Department Chair Stress Index along with demographic questions. A response rate of 70.2% was achieved. The results of the study indicate that, overall, stress among department chairs appears to be monolithic in its effect. Also, chairs expressed high stress both in faculty and in administrative areas of concern. [ProQuest]

Henes, Robby and et al. "Improving the Academic Environment for Women Engineering Students Through Faculty Workshops." Journal of Engineering Education (Jan. 1995): 59-67.
Notes: Review of gender issues facing women undergraduate engineering students is followed by an overview and evaluation of climate workshops for engineering facutly conducted at UC-Davis
Abstract: "In this paper we examine the low numbers of women represented in engineering curricula and some of the factors that help to explain their under representation. We examine some of these factors including: isolation, not seeing the relevance of highly theoretical basic courses, negative experiences in laboratory courses, classroom climate and lack of role models. An outline is presented for two engineering faculty workshops, conducted at the University of California-Davis, designed to help faculty members understand these issues and develop new strategies for overcoming factors that discourage their female students. Evaluation results are presented along with a series of recommendations for planning, implementing and evaluating these types of workshops.

Hoffer, Thomas B. and et al. Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities: Summary Report 2003Chicago: National Opinion Research Center, 2004.
Available online
Notes: Report provides statistics on doctoral degrees earned by field, citizenship, gender, and race.
Abstract: "Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities: Summary Report 2003 is the thirty-seventh in a series of reports on research doctorates awarded by universities in the United States. The data presented in their report are from the annual Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED), a census of the 40,710 research doctorate recipients who earned their degrees between July 1, 2002, and June 30, 2003. Conducted since 1958, this survey is sponsored by six Federal agencies: the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, (NORC) is the current stat collection contractor. All survey responses become part of the Doctorate Records File (DRF), a cumulative database on research doctorate recipients from 1920 to 2003. For the 2003 survey, 91 percent of the 40,710 new doctorate recipients completed the SED questionnaire; basic information on nonrespondents was obtained from their degree-granting institutions and public records. The cumulative DRF now contains a total of 1,517,626 records on individuals completing doctorates over the last 84 years at U.S. institutions."

Johnsrud, Linda K. and C. D. des Jarlais. "Barriers to Tenure for Women and Minorities." The Review of Higher Education 17, no. 4 (1994): 335-53.
Notes: Article presents survey data that illustrate different perceptions of the campus climate and institutional processes for women and minority versus male faculty.
Abstract: Recruiting and retaining qualified faculty is a national higher education issue. Although the retrenchment and downsizing taking place in many states is likely to limit faculty mobility, research universities are already experiencing problems of faculty attrition and shortages in some fields. Thus, retaining and enabling the success of faculty currently on campus are vital to ensuring the strength of the academy. Concomitantly, the goal of enhancing sex and ethnic diversity among faculty presents an increasing challenge as the number of new hires shrinks.

Johnsrud, Linda K. and Vicki J. Rosser. "Faculty Members' Morale and Their Intention to Leave: A Multilevel Explanation." The Journal of Higher Education 73, no. 4 (July 2002-Aug. 2002): 518-42.
Available online
Notes: Study finds that faculty job statisfaction (i.e. percieved quality of academic work and institutional support/reward for high quality work) is a primary factor in retention.
Abstract: "A study examined faculty members' morale and intention to leave. Participants were 1,511 faculty members in a ten-campus system of public higher education in a Western state. Results revealed, at the individual level, that participants' perceptions of the quality of their work lives had a direct and powerful effect on their morale, that faculty rank had a direct impact on morale but that sex or race and ethnicity were not significant in explaining morale, and that the relationship between morale and the intention to leave was considerable, with quality of work life mattering most to morale and level of morale mattering most to intention to leave. In addition, results revealed that intention to leave, although an individual choice, differed by institution. Theoretical and institutional implications of the results are presented."

Leveson, Nancy. Women in Computer Science: A Report for the NSF CISE Cross-Disciplinary Activities Advisory Committee 1989.
Notes: Paper discusses barriers to women in computer science and suggestions on how to overcome them.
Abstract: Report summarizes findings from a non-scientific survey of women in computer science that addressed the challenges of women in computer science. Several obstacles are identified including classroom climate and social pressures. Suggestions on how to support and encourage women in computer science include: workshops, networking, pre-college programs, women speaker series, mentoring, and research opportunities. Issues facing computer scientist women at the graduate and faculty level are also addressed. The report contains extensive monographs from survey respondents.

Long, J. Scott. "The Origins of Sex Differences in Science." Social Forces 68, no. 4 (June 1990): 1297-316.
Available online
Notes: Small disadvantages accumulate and have a significant negative impact on women scientists' careers.
Abstract: "The sociology of science has clearly established the presence of sex differences in scientific productivity and position. This article examines the processes leading to the lower productivity of female scientists at the completion of their doctoral training. Collaboration with the mentor is found to be the most important factor affecting productivity. For females, opportunities for collaboration are significantly decreased by having young children. As a consequence, the presence of young children has an adverse, indirect effect on the productivity of female scientists during graduate study. This effect does not exist for males. In addition to differences in the process of collaboration, many small differences that disadvantage women and advantage men are found in the levels of resources affecting productivity and in the mechanisms by which resources are translated into productivity. The concentration of small disadvantages provides a further explanation of sex differences in productivity at the start of the career. Since early advantages and disadvantages have been found to accumulate, this article provides an essential first step in understanding sex differences in scientific productivity and position that emerge during the career."

Long, J. Scott, Paul D. Allison, and Robert McGinnis. "Rank Advancement in Academic Careers: Sex Differences and the Effects of Productivity." American Sociological Review 58, no. 5 (Oct. 1993): 703-22.
Available online
Notes: Women scientists in academia are promoted more slowly than men, evidence suggests that they are expected to meet higher standards than men scientists.
Abstract: "Advancement in rank is critically important to the career of an academic scientist, and the highly visible nature of the event makes it ideal for studying stratification in science. Concern with universalistic factors in promotion has prompted debates over two issues. First, why do female scientists advance more slowly than male scientists, and why do so few reach the rank of full professor? Second, is promotion driven by the sheer volume of published work as opposed to its quality? Event history analyses clearly indicate that quantity of publications is far more important than various measures of quality of publications in predicting rank advancement; and women are less likely to be promoted than men. About one-half of this sex difference is attributable to differences in levels of variables affecting promotion. Remaining differences are a result of differences in expected timing of promotion to associate professor and to the negative effects of department prestige on promotion to full professor for women."

Lovitts, Barbara E. Leaving the Ivory Tower: The Causes and Consequences of Departure From Doctoral Study. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2001.
Notes: Book traces persistantly high departure rates from doctoral programs to social and enviornmental factors.
Abstract: "Graduate schools have faced attrition rates of approximately 50 percent for the past 40 years. They have tried to address the problem by focusing on student charracteristics and by assuming that if they could make better, more informed admissions decisions, attrition rates would drop. Yet high attrition rates persist and may in fact be increasing. Leaving the Ivory Tower turns this issue around and asks what is wrong with the structure and process of graduate education. Based on hard evidence drawn from a survey of 816 completers and noncompleters and on interviews with noncompleters, high- and low-Ph.D. productive faculty, and directors of graduate study, this book locates the root cause of attrition in the social structure and cultural organization of graduate education."

McElrath, Karen. "Gender, Career Disruption, and Academic Rewards." Journal of Higher Education 63, no. 6 (May 1992-June 1992): 269-81.
Available online
Notes: Evidence illustrates that career interruptions and moves negatively affect women faculty's careers, but not those of men faculty.
Abstract: Survey data from a large study of achievements of faculty in academic criminology were used to explore the relationship between career disruption and academic rewards. Using stratified random sampling, 300 females (82%) were selected from the total of female faculty members(366) and 300 males (22%) were selected from the toal of male faculty members (1364). Data suggest that faculty women were more likely than men to leave academic positions and that women who interrupt careers are more likely to do so for a job-seeking spouse rather than because of pregnancy or child-rearing. The data also showed that, despite controlling for publications and length of service, women who interuppted their careers or changed academic jobs were less likely to achieve tenure than other women and that career distruption had no effect on men's tenure rates.

McIlwee, J. S. and J. G. Robinson. ""Appendix A: Research Methods" and "Appendix B: Questionaire and Interview Schedule"."Women in Engineering: Gender, Power, and Workplace Culture J. S. McIlwee and J. G. Robinson, 193-215. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1992.
Notes: Appendix A decribes the quantitative and qualititative research methodologies employed in the book; Appendix B reproduces the questionaire used in surveying women engineers.

McNeill, L. and M Sher. Dual-Science Career Couples: Survey Results
Available online
Notes: Survey results
Abstract: Describes and discusses results of a survey of couples, one of whom was a physicist and the other also a physicist or some other type of scientist. Authors argue that "it is in the interests of both the hiring institution and the physics profession as a whole that institutions take an active role in addressing the dualcareer situation of the physicists whom they wish to hire. Such efforts can help an institution to hire and retain the candidates they choose, and will also help to ameliorate the significant barriers experienced by talented women entering the profession."

Miner-Rubino, Kathi and Lilia M. Cortina. "Working in a Context of Hostility Toward Women: Implications for Employees' Well-Being." Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 9, no. 2 (Apr. 2004): 107-22.
Available online
Notes: A workplace climate that is hostile toward women negatively affects all employess, even those who do not directly experience gender discrimination; this suggests gender bias is an organizational, not an individual, issue.
Abstract: This study examined how working in an organizational context perceived as hostile toward women affects employees' well-being, even in the absence of personal hostility experiences. Participants were 289 public-sector employees who denied any personal history of being targeted with general or gender-based hostility at work. They completed measures of personal demographics, occupational and physical well-being, and perceptions of the organizational context for women. Results showed that 2 contextual indices of hostility toward women related to declines in well-being for male and female employees. The gender ratio of the workgroup moderated this relationship, with employees in male-skewed units reporting the most negative effects. These findings suggest that all employees in the workplace can suffer from working in a context of perceived misogyny.

Moen, Phyllis. It's About Time: Couples and Careers. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press, 2003.
Notes: Edited volume of works resulting from the Cornell Couples and Careers Study, which examined expected and actual life and career roles from the perspective of dual-earner couples.
Abstract: This volume departs from the idea that the contemporary workforce is being reconfigured in ways that are incompatable with traditional life course 'scripts.' "It's about Time examines this mismatch between outdated structures and scripts and the contemporary reality experienced by dual-earner couples. It aims to broaden our understanding of the range of occupational career and family career strategies couples use in light of the widening gap between real lives and outdated work-hour and career-path roles, rules, and regulations." A policy agenda is devloped in the conclusion.

Myers, Daniel J. and Kimberly B. Dugan. "Sexism in Graduate School Classrooms: Consequences for Students and Faculty." Gender and Society 10, no. 3 (June 1996): 330-350.
Available online
Notes: Sexism in the graduate classroom harms the educational process. It influences the emotional well-being and performance of students and damages the credibility and social influence of faculty who engage is sexist behaviors.
Abstract: "This study investigates the reactions of graduate students to perceived gender bias in their classes, using survey data from 254 social science graduate students in seven Ph.D.-granting departments in three universities. In addition to summarizing reported rates of gender-biased behavior in classrooms, we test hypotheses connecting perceptions of sexist behavior with students' emotional reactions, levels of distraction, and subsequent performance. Results are mixed, depending on students' perceptions of professors as either sensitive or insensitive to gender issues. Second, we use a model of social influence to test for negative effects of reported sexist behavior on students' perceptions of professors' expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness. Strong support is demonstrated for these hypotheses."

National Science Foundation. Science and Engineering Indicatiors 2004, NSB 04-01B. 2004.
Available online
Notes: Statistical reference on science and engineering; includes CD-ROM with data and basic informational cards.
Abstract: "The biennial Science and Engineering Indicators series provides a broad base of quantitative information about U.S. science, engineering, and technology for use by public and private policymakers. The two-volume 2004 edition contains analyses of key trends that illuminate the scope, quality and vitality of research and education both in the United States and in an international context. In response to user demand, it also contains a new chapter on state-level indicators."

National Science Foundation. Science and Engineering Indicators 2004: Volume 2: Appendix Tables, NSB 04-01A. Arlington, VA: 2004.
Available online
Notes: Statistical reference contains tables of data on a variety of science and engineering topics, some emphasis on gender and race.

National Science Foundation. SESTAT: A Tool for Studying Scientists and Engineers in the United States, NSF 99-337. Nirmala Kannankutty and R. Keith Wilkinson. Arlington, VA: 1999.
Available online
Notes: Reference guide to the SESTAT database.
Abstract: SESTAT uses data collected from the biennial National Survey of College Graduates(NSCG), the National Survey of Recent College Graduates(NSRCG), and the Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR) to create a comprehensive and integrated system of information about the employment, educational, and demographic characteristics of scientists and engineers in the US,

Women, Minorities, and Persons With Disabilities in Science and Engineering 2004. 2004.
Notes: Statistical reference includes a data CD and basic information cards.

Nelson, Donna J. and Diana C. Rogers. A National Analysis of Diversity in Science and Engineering Faculties at Research UniversitiesNorman, OK: Diversity in Science Association, 2004.
Available online
Notes: Report surveys 'top 50' science and engineering departments and finds that women and minorities are severely underrepresented on these faculties. The authors suggest that this underrepresentation continues a cycle whereby women and minorities fail to pursue academic science and engineering careers because of a lack of role models. Conclusions point towards active mentoring by male faculty and addressing the environment as keys to encouraging women and minorities in science and engineering.
Abstract: "The first national and most comprehensive analysis to date of tenured and tenure track faculty in the 'top 50' departments of science and engineering disciplines shows that females and minorities are significantly underrepresented. ...The data demonstrate that while the representation of females in science and engineering PhD attainment has significantly increased in recent years, the corresponding faculties are still overwhelmingly dominated by White men. ...A cycle is perpetuated. Women are less likely to enter and remain in science and engineering when they lack mentors and role models. In most science disciplines, the percentage of women among faculty recently hired is not comparable to that of recent women PhDs. This results in fewer female faculty to act as role models for female undergraduate and graduate students. Female students observe this in the course of sampling the environment. When female professors are not hired, treated fairly, and retained, female students perceive that they will be treated similarly. This dissuades them from persisting in that discipline. ...Because of the dearth of female professors and the impact this has on female student perceptions, the male faculty should (1) actively encourage female students to enter science and engineering and offer to become their mentors and (2) insure that the environment for the few female professors currently in science and engineering is one which female students will perceive as appealing. In the end, the presence, treatment, and fate of female professors will be most relevant to the lives, family responsibilities, and careers of typical female students and the choices and obstacles they will face."

Perrucci, Carolyn Cummings. "Minority Status and the Pursuit of Professional Careers: Women in Science and Engineering." Social Forces 49, no. 2 (Dec. 1970): 245-59.
Available online
Notes: There are disparities between "career paths and career sucess" (257) of men and women scientists and engineers; women scientists and engineers in careers exhibit different marriage and childbearing patterns than those not in careers.
Abstract: "The integration of a visible minority group into the American occupational structure; specifically, the sexual integration of science and engineering is investigated by comparing selected social characteristics of career with noncareer women and men with similar training in these fields. Deviation of science, and especially engineering, from the ideal-typical model of rational professions is indicated in the finding of significant "selective patterning" of careers and differential career success by sex of college graduate, which is evident when they first enter the labor market and becomes more pronounced during the course of their careers. It is suggested that discrepancies between occupational values of women employees and their perceptions of their actual work situation may indicate potential problems in their employment. Finally, possible adaptations to mitigate the effect of "deviant" sex status in the professional context are identified for two age groups of women scientists and engineers in terms of patterns in their temporal ordering of the events of college graduation, employment, marriage, and childbearing."

Phillips Morrow, Gloria, Deborah Burris-Kitchen, and Aghop Der-Karabetian. "Assessing Campus Climate of Cultural Diversity: A Focus on Focus Groups." College Student Journal 34, no. 4 (Dec. 2000).
Available online
Notes: Focus groups confirmed survey findings on a private university campus indicating that different ethnic groups had positive but somewhat different perceptions and attitudes about campus diversity climate.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to highlight diversity related findings from quantitative survey assessment efforts on a private university campus; (2) to utilize focus groups to assess student, faculty, staff, and management perceptions and attitudes of campus diversity climate; and (3) to illustrate how focus group information can complement quantitative survey findings. Eight homogeneous and heterogeneous focus groups made up of students, faculty, staff, and senior management participated in this study. Quantitative survey findings showed that different ethnic groups on campus had overall positive but somewhat different perceptions and attitudes regarding campus diversity climate. The focus group findings confirmed and complemented the quantitative survey findings. They also helped generate action recommendations. An attempt was made to evaluate the use of focus groups in addition to use of surveys to assess campus diversity climate.

Radcliffe Public Policy Center and Inc. Harris Interactive. Life's Work: Generational Attitudes toward Work and Life IntegrationCambridge: Radcliffe Public Policy Center,
Available online
Notes: Reports on the results of a national survey of Americans' attitudes about work and family, economic security, workplace technology, and career development. The survey showed that increasing numbers of young men want to take an active role in raising their children; most workers perceive that their loyalty toward employers is not reciprocated; and many workers are sleep deprived.

Rayman, Paula and Belle Bret. "Women Science Majors: What Makes a Difference in Persistence After Graduation?" Journal of Higher Education 66, no. 4 (July 1995-Aug. 1995): 388-414.
Available online
Notes: Environmental factors encourage women to persist in science careers.
Abstract: "Women remain an underrepresented group in science and mathematics. This article examines factors related to persistence in science/mathematics of women science or mathematics majors. Cohort, major, number of undergraduate science courses, parental encouragement, and career advice from faculty were key factors associated with persistence in science/mathematics after college."

Rinehart, Jan, Susan Staffin Metz, and Natela Ostrovskaya. "Mentoring Men of Color and Women to Faculty Postions: Results From a Faculty Survey (Session 3592)."Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition: Staying in Tune With Engineering Education: American Society for Engineering Education.
Available online
Notes: A survey of women and minority faculty suggests that the best way to encourage students to pursue academic careers is through mentoring.
Abstract: "This paper reports on an engineering faculty survey designed to provide insights into why under represented (women, African American men, Latinos, and Native American men) enter academia. There continues to be a shortage of participation from these groups in the engineering field and evein with all the efforts of people, foundations, and agencies, the numbers are not increasing. Determining what the factors are that motivate and encorage young people to pursue Ph.D.s and then select academic careers, is vital to the economic growth of America."

Rogers, Stacy J. and Elizabeth G. Menaghan. "Women's Persistence in Undergraduate Majors: The Effects of Gender-Disproportionate Representation." Gender and Society 5, no. 4 (Dec. 1991): 549-64.
Available online
Notes: Women undergraduates persist in science majors more than in more gender neutral majors. The authors suggest that the low numbers of women might mean that males are less hostile to women because the women are not seen as threatening traditions.
Abstract: "Women's lack of participation in science and technology careers is foreshadowed by their low participation in these undergraduate majors. Kanter's theory of tokenism suggests that the effects of being in the numerical minority are responsible for women's absence from the science and technology pipeline. This article uses data from a sample of undergraduate women at a large state university to consider the effects of gender-disproportionate enrollment on women's persistence in majors. Many of the male-dominated majors were in science and technology fields. The authors tested Kanter's theory of tokenism, including the effects of sex ratio in the major, performance pressure, and role entrapment on undergraduate women's likelihood of persistence. In support of Kanter's model, the authors found that performance pressure has a significant, negative effect on likelihood of persistence. However, contrary to Kanter's argument, women in more gender-balanced majors were most likely to be contemplating a change in major."

Rosenfeld, Rachel A. and Jo Ann Jones. "Institutional Mobility Among Academics: The Case of Psychologists." Sociology of Education 59, no. 4 (Oct. 1986): 212-26.
Available online
Notes: Women academics move more often, often moving out of academia, and gain less for their mobility than men.
Abstract: "This paper uses career history data from a sample of academic psychologists to examine the extent, patterns, and consequences of interinstitutional job mobility by sex. Though professors have been characterized as mobile, we find relatively low levels of mobility. This mobility does not lead to demotion but often results in moves that are horizontal or out of academia. Changing schools early increases the chances of being on tenure track but later decreases the chances of having tenure-level rank. We find little evidence of barriers to mobility across types of institutions, although we do find that different types of schools offer different rates of promotion. Women change institutions somewhat faster than men, largely because they move faster out of academia, and they gain less from their moves. However, there is little sex difference in variables predicting mobility or outcomes."

Sax, Linda J. et al. "Faculty Research Productivity: Exploring the Role of Gender and Family-Related Factors." Research in Higher Education 43, no. 4 (Aug. 2002): 423-46.
Available online
Notes: Study finds that "factors affecting faculty research productivity are nearly identical for men and women, and family-related variables, such as having dependent children, exhibit little or no effects on research productivity."
Abstract: This study explores the role of several family-related factors in faculty research productivity for a large, nationally representative sample of university faculty members. The role of marriage, children, and aging parents is examined after controlling for other personal and environmental factors, such as age, rank, department, and intrinsic motivations to conduct research, that previous research has shown to influence research productivity. Analyses are conducted on a sample of 8,544 full-time teaching faculty (2,384 women and 6,160 men) at 57 universities nationwide. Results show that factors affecting faculty research productivity are nearly identical for men and women, and family-related variables, such as having dependent children, exhibit little or no effects on research productivity.ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR

Seymour, Elaine and Nancy M. Hewitt. Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1997.
Notes: Book traces the departure of undergraduate students from science, math, and engineering majors to traditional teaching practices and attitudes.
Abstract: This book examines the reasons why gifted undergraduate students choose to leave science, math, and engineering. It pays particular attention to the fact that women and students of color disproportionately depart from these fields. Using ethnographic interviews and focus group discussions, the authors trace departures to traditional teaching practices and attitudes. Improving the educational experience in math, science, and engineering is stressed as the best way to retain women and students of color.

Simon, Rita James, Shirley Merritt Clark, and Larry L. Tifft. "Of Nepotism, Marriage, and the Pursuit of an Academic Career." Sociology of Education 39, no. 4 (Autumn 1966): 344-58.
Available online
Notes: Anti-nepotism rules, intended to prevent unqualified persons from gaining university positions via political influence, do not serve their intended purpose but rather act as a barrier to the advancement of highly productive academic women who are married to male faculty members.
Abstract: "This article is part of a larger study of the social and professional characteristics of the woman Ph.D. In this paper, we report that about 15 per cent of the married women with Ph.D.'s believe that their careers have been hurt by anti-nepotism regulations. These regulations, as it turns out, are not barriers to entry into the academic market but are barriers to advancement, to gaining tenure and to salaries. The women who claim that their careers are affected by anti-nepotism rules are as productive as male Ph.D.'s, holding year and field constant, and more productive than other women Ph.D.'s married or unmarried."

Smith, Thomas M. The Educational Progress of Women, NCES 96 768. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 1995.
Available online
Notes: Summary of research findings on the educational attainment of women, some emphasis on science and math education.
Abstract: Report summarizes research findings on the education of women and labor market outcomes. Some emphasis is placed on math and science education, see p. 7-9, 13-14.

Stanford University, Provost's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women Faculty. Report of the Provost's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women FacultyStanford, CA: Stanford University, 2004.
Available online
Notes: Report assesses the status of women faculty at Stanford University, with special emphasis on science and engineering faculty.
Abstract: Following in the footsteps of the MIT Faculty Study, this report utilizes survey data to assess the status of women faculty at Stanford University. The report focuses on several key issues, including: recruitment & retention of faculty, distribution of resources and recognition, and quality of life. Findings indicate that women faculty at Stanford are significantly more likely to have concerns about campus and departmental climates. A number of recommendations for institutional action are provided in the conclusion.

Tidball, M. Elizabeth. "Baccalaureate Origins of Recent Natural Science Doctorates." The Journal of Higher Education 57, no. 6 (Nov. 1986-Dec. 1986): 606-20.
Available online
Notes: Evidence suggest that certain types of undergraduate institutions (colleges>universities, private>public) are hightly productive in producing both men and women Ph.D.s in the sciences; women's colleges are most productive of women Ph.D. scientists. Also, the proportion of female faculty is found to have a significant, positive effect on the number of women student who pursue science careers.
Abstract: "Although many formerly all-male colleges have been admitting women students during the past fifteen years, and although more women are entering traditionally masculine fields of study, there are distinct differences in the type of baccalaureate institutions that are most productive of women and men who become doctoral scientists."

________. "Of Men and Research: The Dominant Themes in American Higher Education Include Neither Teaching nor Women." Journal of Higher Education 47, no. 4 (July 1976-Aug. 1976): 373-89.
Available online
Notes: "Attitudes and values built upon sexual sterotypes polarize [academic] institutions and diminish their productivity." This especially impacts women faculty and students.
Abstract: This study based on the 1972 American Council of Education (ACE) survey shows that "Most college and university environments are relatively nonsupportive of women faculty and women students. Women faculty are themselves affirming of women students, just as men faculty are of men students, but the small proportion of women faculty in virtually all types of institutions assures that the views of men faculty dominate the institutional climate. Men faculty subscribe to the research image of an institution as being the predominant basis for generating a high level of self-esteem, which accounts for the low level of self-esteem of men faculty affiliated with "teaching" institutions. Women faculty, who generally feel less successful than men, utilize other value systems by which to define success as an academic professional."

Toren, Nina and Vered Kraus. "The Effects of Minority Size on Women's Position in Academia." Social Forces 65, no. 4 (June 1987): 1090-1100.
Available online
Notes: "...The differential ineuqalities between women in the natural sciences as compared to the humanities depend on both sex-ratios [proportion of women in the academic field] and nature of the scientific discipline [its gendered definition]."
Abstract: "This study examines the effects of minority size on the academic position of women in higher education in Israel. Findings from faculty women show that their proportional representation is negatively related to their achievement in terms of academic rank; the smaller their proportion in a scientific field the more does their hierarchical distribution resemble that of their male colleagues. It is also found that women, as a rule, participate in larger proportions in the humanities than in the natural sciences. It is suggested that sex ratios affect women's position in combination with the stereotypes attributed to the feminine diffuse status-characteristic in different contexts. In scientific fields in which women's sex status is more salient they fare less well than in disciplines in which it is neutralized."

University of Wisconsin-Madison. Faculty Retention SurveyMadison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison,
Notes: Untitled survey (date unknown) presents questions pertaining to retention of 1977-1980 faculty cohort and life/career interface issues.

________. Inquiry Into the Issues Impacting Career Progression of Probationary Faculty at the University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI: Univerisity of Wisconsin-Madison,
Notes: Survey brochure (date unknown) presents questions relating to climate, work/life interface, tenure process and career development aimed at junior faculty.

Vasil, Latika. "Social Process Skills and Career Achievement Among Male and Female Academics." Journal of Higher Education 67, no. 1 (Jan. 1996-Feb. 1996): 103-14.
Available online
Notes: Study investigates the role of self-efficacy perceptions in women's academic career achievement. Overall, differences in women's self-efficacy preceptions are explained by differences in rank and other variables; self-efficacy perceptions explain only about 2% of the variance in women's (relatively lower) scholarly output.
Abstract: "Extending the application of self-efficacy theory, this study investigated self-efficacy beliefs for the social process skills relevant to an academic career and examined gender differences and the extent to which social process self-efficacy correlates with career achievement. Males were significantly more confident than females for social process skills; however, gender differences were not found after controlling for the effects of experience, academic rank and field, and institution. Social process self-efficacy explained a small but significant amount of variance in research productivity."

Wegner, Eldon L. "Some Factors in Obtaining Postgraduate Education." Sociology of Education 42, no. 2 (Spring 1969): 154-69.
Available online
Notes: Pursuit of gradute education and graduate degree attainment is strongly related to academic ability, time of marriage, and socio-economic status for women who have completed undergraduate studies; the only important varrible for men is academic ability.
Abstract: "Present trends in American society indicate an increasing need for persons with graduate and professional degrees. This study examines the roles of sex, time of marriage, socioeconomic status background, and academic ability in determining who intends and who obtains postgraduate education. Data were obtained from a longitudinal study of a representative sample of undergraduates from a major university. Men were found to be more likely than women to obtain graduate or professional education. For men, high academic ability was the primary factor in determining who obtained postgraduate education; for women, a late marriage, low socioeconomic status and high ability were about equally associated with obtaining postgraduate education. Both college women and low status college men were relatively unable to anticipate their eventual educational attainments."

Xie, Yu and Kimberlee A. Shauman. Women in Science: Career Processes and Outcomes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003.
Notes: Book explores the social causes of underrepresentation of women in science, looking in particular at education, socialization, and the gender parenting gap.
Abstract: "Why do so few women choose a career in science - even as they move into medicine, law, and other professions in ever-greater numbers? In the most comprehensive study of gender differences in science careers ever conducted, Women in Science provides a systematic account of how U.S. youth are selected into and out of science eduation in early life, and how social forces affect career outcome later in the science labor market. Studying the science career trajectory in its entirety, the authors attend to the causal influences of prior experiences on career outcomes as well as the interations of career and family. While attesting to the progress in women in science, the book also reveals continuing gender differences in mathematics and science education and in the progress and outcomes of scientists' careers. The authors explore the extent and causes of gender differences in undergraduate and graduate science education; scientists' geographic mobility; research productivity, promotion rates, and earnings; and in the experience of immigrant scientists. They conclude that the gender gap in parenting responsibilities is a critical barrier to the futher advancement of women in science."

Young, Dana. "Women Vastly Underrepresented in Academia." Women's ENews (Feb. 2004).
Available online
Notes: Reports on Donna Nelson's Study of college faculty positions held by female and minority males at the nation's top math, science and engineering departments
Abstract: Reports on Donna Nelson's Study of college faculty positions held by female and minority males at the nation's top math, science and engineering departments. Nelson, a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oklahoma, presents data that shows "pipeline issues" do not explain the small percentages of women and minority faculty in top math, science and engineering departments. She contrasts data on faculty composition with that on Ph.D. attainment by women and minorities.

Yu, Tak Yun Holly and James A. Sweet. UW-Madison PostDoctoral Scholar Survey: Summary of ResultsMadison, WI: University of Wisconsin Survey Center, 2002.
Available online