Citation
Fox, M., Sonnert, G., & Nikiforova, I. (2011). Programs for undergraduate women in science and engineering: Issues, problems, and solutions. Gender & Society, 25(5), 589-615.
Highlights
- The authors summarized the goals, concerns, and activities of undergraduate programs for women in science and engineering. They focused on whether the programs considered individual-level concerns, such as self-esteem and academic ability, or structural barriers, such as faculty, campus, and administrative attitudes toward women, as the primary obstacles facing women in these fields.
- In 2002, the authors surveyed the directors of undergraduate programs for women in science and engineering, obtaining 38 responses out of 48 programs nationwide. They analyzed the survey responses by translating rating scales into mean scores and comparing those means using paired sample t-tests.
- The study found that directors of undergraduate programs for women in science and engineering generally conceived of the central problem facing their students as structural rather than individual. The activities these programs provided, however, focused predominantly on shoring up individual skills and self-confidence—for instance through social gatherings and links to support services—rather than addressing the structural issues they viewed as paramount.
Reviewed by CLEAR
September 2015