The Status of Women Agricultural Economists in Academia

Abstract

The results of three surveys on the status of women agricultural economists in academia are reported. Data from a 1990 survey were used to test hypotheses about the distribution of women graduate students and faculty. Data from a 1991 departmental survey of graduate students were used to examine the composition of international versus domestic students by gender and program. A 1991 survey of women graduate students was used to examine their needs, preferences, and interests. Results from the three surveys show similar trends for women in both economics and academia in general. A pyramid structure exists for the percentage of women at both the student and faculty levels. However, despite attending high-ranking schools and having research interests that closely match those of academia, 74.5 percent of female students said that they would prefer a non-academic position for their first job. This may pose problems for academic recruitment, as well as have an impact on the future quality of academic research. Based on our findings, we propose strategies to attract women in order to provide departments with a larger pool of female job candidates.