Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering and Mathematics Faculty

The 1999 report, A Study on the Status of Women Faculty in Science at MIT, created a new level of awareness of the special challenges faced by women faculty in the sciences. Although not the first examination of the treatment of female faculty, this report marked an important historical moment, igniting interest in difficulties experienced by many women, particularly those at the higher levels of academia. Since the release of the MIT report, many other institutions have studied equity issues regarding their faculty, and several have publicly pledged to use their resources to correct identified disparities. Although academic departments, institutions, professional societies, and others have paid more attention to the topic in the last ten years, some experts are concerned that remedial actions have approached a plateau.