From Scarcity to Visibility: Gender Differences in the Careers of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers

Long (sociology, Indiana U.) and his collaborators report on the findings of a committee formed by the National Research Council to study gender differences in the career outcomes of science and engineering PhDs. Focusing on describing the data, rather than seeking root causes, the report finds that, although women have increased their representation in the area of doctoral attainment, they are far from close to being equally represented in the science and engineering fields. The achievements of women in these fields are correlated to general trends in women’s education and careers and other demographic data. The distribution of gender across sectors of employment is examined and salary differentials are discussed. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)