Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Why do so few women choose a career in science--even as they move into medicine and law in ever-greater numbers? In one of the most comprehensive studies 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 education in early life, and how social forces affect career outcomes 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 interactions of multiple life domains such as career and family. While attesting to the progress of 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, in scientists' geographic mobility, in research productivity, in 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 further advancement of women in science.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Math and Science Achievement
• 3 Expectation of a Science/Engineering College Major
• 4 Attainment of a Science/Engineering Baccalaureate
• 5 Career Paths after a Science/Engineering Baccalaureate
• 6 Career Paths after a Science/Engineering Master's Degree
• 7 Demographic and Labor Force Profiles of Scientists
• 8 Geographic Mobility of Scientists/Engineers
• 9 Research Productivity
• 10 Immigrant Scientists/Engineers
• Appendixes
• Appendix A Descriptions of the Data
• Appendix B Method for Decomposition Analysis
• Appendix C Detailed Occupation Codes in Science and Engineering
• Appendix D Detailed Statistical Tables
• Notes
• References
• Index

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Sociologists Xie (Univ. of Michigan) and Shauman (Univ. of California, Davis) have prepared this detailed and scholarly study of the career paths of women in science, remarkable for the comprehensive scope of its contents as well as the detail and precision of its findings. Within the general framework of the life course perspective, this study looks at the career paths of women scientists from many points of view: individual goals, familial (both family of origin and the family of formation) influences, and the influence of social institutions and gender stereotypes. The narrative begins with women's experiences in middle and high school, moves through the normal sequence of higher education, and then turns to an extended discussion of women scientists and engineers in the workplace. There is an interesting chapter on the experience of immigrant scientists and engineers, and specific chapters devoted to geographic mobility, research productivity, and career paths after the master's degree. Numerical data, statistical analysis, and statistical tables provide a significant portion of the content. It is the most carefully argued and well-documented investigation of both the gender differences in science and the reasons women leave science presently available--an important and praiseworthy contribution. Excellent index and references. ^BSumming Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals; two-year technical program students. M. H. Chaplin Wellesley College