Is the Academic Climate Chilly? The Views of Women Academic Chemists

Recent government statistics indicate that although women comprised 46% of the total labor force in 2006, they made up only 34% of those employed as chemists and material scientists (1). This underrepresentation parallels the percentage of women obtaining doctoral degrees in these fields. For example, even though women received almost 50% of all doctoral degrees awarded in 2005-2006, they earned only 30% of those awarded in the physical sciences and technology (2). The situation becomes even more extreme in the academic workforce, especially in some scientific areas, where the representation of women does not parallel the receipt of advanced degrees. For instance, although the proportion of doctoral degrees in chemistry that have gone to women has increased markedly over the past few decades, the representation of women among higher education faculty has not increased at the same rate. At the 50 schools with the highest chemistry-research expenditures, 31% of all doctorate degrees in chemistry awarded between 1993 and 2002 were given to women. Yet, women remain underrepresented on chemistry faculties, especially among the highest-ranked departments that have the highest levels of spending and receive the most research funds. In 2007, women comprised less than 15% of the faculties at these top-ranked schools and only 22% of those at the assistant rank, far below the representation of women among newly minted doctorate degrees (3-6). The National Academy's recent " Beyond Bias and Barriers " report concluded that when women reach a " critical mass " in their individual departments, a level that is near 20%, a transition occurs and women " start to perceive their common interests and join together to press for improvements in policies relevant to their needs " (7). Most chemistry departments have not yet met that threshold. Numerous authors have suggested that women's under-representation in academe reflects a negative gender-related climate. Studies of the climate within academic departments including, but not limited to, chemistry indicate that, when gender differences occur, women faculty are significantly more likely than men to report negative experiences and unfair treatment and to be less satisfied with their positions. Women's lower levels of satisfaction and negative experiences, such as exclusion from networks and support, are related to a greater tendency to leave academe and to lower productivity. Several authors suggest that continuing experiences with this negative gender climate cumulate through a " weathering " or " cascading " process, which can exacerbate issues …