Despite Increases, Women and Minorities Still Underrepresented in Undergraduate and Graduate S&E Education

Abstract

Participation of women and minorities1 in science and engineering (S&E) higher education continues to rise, but this involvement is not yet equivalent to their representation in the U.S. population of 18- to 30-year-olds. In 1995, women were 50 percent of U.S. residents between the ages of 18 and 30; blacks were 14 percent; Hispanics, 13 percent; and American Indians, 0.8 percent. 2 However, in the same year, 46 percent of S&E bachelor’s degrees were earned by women, 7 percent by blacks, 6 percent by Hispanics, and 0.6 percent to American Indians. The proportions of S&E doctorates earned by these groups were even smaller: 36 percent earned by women, 3 percent by blacks, 3 percent by Hispanics, and 0.4 percent by American Indians. In contrast, Asians, who accounted for 4 percent of U.S. residents between 18 and 30 years old, earned 8 percent of the S&E bachelor’s degrees and 19 percent of the S&E doctorates.

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