Gender Disparity in Engineering as a Function of Physics Enrollment and Its Implications for Civil Engineering
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 135, Issue 3
Abstract
Despite tremendous advances by women in the natural and applied sciences, where in selective fields women have surpassed men in the earning of doctoral degrees for more nearly , female enrollment levels in engineering continue to be a fraction of male enrollment. Gender disparities of more than 60% persist in undergraduate engineering enrollments and have recently worsened. As American female civil engineering enrollment has been flat for over , efforts must be taken to understand this stasis. This paper focuses primarily on secondary education preparation in terms of both attitudes toward and enrollment levels in preengineering courses such as calculus, chemistry, and physics. Additional consideration is given to enrollment and achievement in advanced placement courses, as reflected in national examination rates. This paper concludes that secondary school participation and achievement in physics courses is a critical differential factor as one explanatory element of female engineering enrollment levels and provides specific recommendations as to how to increase interest, enrollment, and achievement in physics, including the segregation of entry-level engineering courses based on previous experience.
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Acknowledgments
This paper was generously supported by a grant from the Urban Institute Ireland, University College Dublin.
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© 2009 ASCE.
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Received: Aug 3, 2006
Accepted: Jan 3, 2008
Published online: Jun 15, 2009
Published in print: Jul 2009
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