The Sex-Segregation of Fields of Study: Trends during the College Years

Abstract

The field of study chosen by students represents an important part of college experience. The organization of courses of study into or fields of concentration has been termed the dominant feature of undergraduate education today [41, p. 28]. The vast majority of colleges and universities require students to select a primary field of study. The extent of requirements for majors varies but is generally substantial: 30-40 percent of total course load is typical of bachelor of arts programs and 40-50 percent is typical of bachelor of science programs [41, pp. 32-33]. The field of study constitutes a social as well as an intellectual environment for student. College majors facilitate frequent contact between students having similar interests, shaping patterns of acquaintance and friendship [25]. Some evidence suggests important differences in social dimensions of instruction between majors [33]. Other studies indicate that within colleges there is substantial variation between majors in effort devoted to instruction [60, 53] and in quality of instruction provided [32]. Political attitudes and grades also vary systematically across college majors [11]. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, college majors influence later-life occupations and earnings. Bielby has linked field of study chosen by women in college to subsequent employment in female-

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