RETAINING TOMORROW'S SCIENTISTS: EXPLORING THE FACTORS THAT KEEP MALE AND FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS INTERESTED IN SCIENCE CAREERS

Abstract

h .5 RETAINING TOMORROW'S SCIEN'|'lSTS: EXPLORING TI-IE FACTORS THAT KEEP MALE AND FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS INTERESTED IN SCIENCE CAREERS Linda J. Sax Higher Education Research Institute. University of California, Los Angeles. California 9(D24 The underrepresentation of women in science and engineering is usually attributed to the experiences of young women during the elementary and secondary years. Although numerous studies document how women are lost fiom science during these critical years. it is also important to know what happens to the minority of women who. at the point of college entry. intend to pursue careers in the sciences. Using a national sample of 6.251 men and 9,268 women. this study examines college students’ initial interest in scientaic careers, the factors that influence science career choice during college. as well as how thesefactorsmaydioerberweenmenandwomen.Resultsindicatethatvariablestraditianaliyusedta predict science persistence (such as ability, selficoncept. and preparation) have similar ejects for bad! rnenandwomen. However. becaruethtssaadyincorporatesanextensiveanuyofvariablesthathave not been included in previous research. a number of interesting diferences emerge between men and women. Specifically. findings suggest that for men. the decision to abandon scientific career aspirations isdrivenbyfinancialconcerns. whereas women whodecidenottopersisttowardscientlficcareers appear to be more concerned with the “social good’ of their career choice. INTRODUCTION Considering that women constitute only 15% of the nation’s scientists and engineers (National Science Foundation, 1988), it is not surprising that the underrepresentation of women in science, math, and engineering fields has been the focus of much re- search in recent decades. The relatively low participation rates of women in these fields has been attributed to a myriad of explanations, including innate ability, bi- ology, elementary and secondary preparation, and sex-role socialization (Matyas, 1992; Oakes, 1990a; Vetter, 1989). However, even when many of these proposed factors have been controlled, women's likelihood of persisting in science fields dur- ing college is still below that of men's (Higher Education Research Institute, 1991). What is needed, then, is an understanding of what additional factors may be inhibiting women's scientific aspirations. This study examines career choices among men and women who, as college freshmen, intended to pursue science careers, and incorporates an extensive array of data from a national, longitudinal survey of college students. The database includes information on students’ personal and educational background, their differential college environments, as well as numerous behavioral Aneuflavqaimofmisufickwupresenwdatdnl992MadngoftheAmaicanEmnadonfl ResurchAswciafimmSmFrunbw.1hkmsearchkaidedbygrnnufiomdnNnfimdSdence Foundationandthefixxonfiducationfiundation. ISSN rm-3325/94s3.oo Copyright c 1994 by Begell House, Inc. 45