Difference between revisions of "Participation data"

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For more information, see  
 
For more information, see  
  
* 2011 Report of the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession: [http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/cswep/annual_reports/2011_CSWEP_Annual_Report.pdf]
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*[http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/CSWEP/newsletters/CSWEP_nsltr_SprSum_2013.pdf Where are the Women Economics Majors?] CSWEP Newsletter, Summer 2013.
  
* Report on the Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession, December 2011: [http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/CSMGEP/reports/csmgep_annual_report11_final.pdf]
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*[http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/cswep/annual_reports/2011_CSWEP_Annual_Report.pdf Report of the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession], 2011.
  
*Mora, M.T. (2012) Racial and Ethnic Differences among Economics Baccalaureates. The Minority Report: AEA. 1, 9-11 [http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/CSMGEP/reports/CSMGEP_Minority_Report_12.pdf]
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*[http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/CSMGEP/reports/csmgep_annual_report11_final.pdf Report on the Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession], 2011.
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*Mora, M.T. (2012) Racial and Ethnic Differences among Economics Baccalaureates. [http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/CSMGEP/reports/CSMGEP_Minority_Report_12.pdf The Minority Report]. AEA 1, 9-11.

Revision as of 10:10, 2 October 2013

According to the most recent data, just over 10 percent of full professors in Ph.D. granting Economics departments are women and only 3 percent are African American or Hispanic. Disproportionate participation rates continue in the current undergraduate population as well; about one-third of undergraduate economics majors are women, and about 10 percent are students of color. These participation rates are lower than those typically observed in science and engineering.


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The lower participation rates of women and ethnic/racial minorities in Economics is a problem at all levels of education, but is more pervasive at higher levels of education. This indicates a "leak" along the academic pipeline, where the academic pipeline is a metaphor for the procession of students from high school graduates to the end point in academia, tenured professorships. Originally coined to describe the dearth of women in STEM fields, this metaphor is now used more universally to describe how women and members of minority groups are absent from higher ranks of academia.


More concerning, however, is the low participation rate of women and minorities at the undergraduate level. A recent report by the AEA's Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession describes this problem well: "...the underrepresentation of Blacks and Hispanics among econ Ph.D.s relates to their underrepresentation among econ undergraduates, and not necessarily from a lack of interest of minority econ majors in pursuing a Ph.D" (Mora, 2012). Without encouraging higher interest at the undergraduate level, attempts to increase the participation rates of women and minorities at higher levels are unlikely to have much effect.


The following sections present patterns of participation for members of various groups at various stages in the field of Economics.

For more information, see

  • Mora, M.T. (2012) Racial and Ethnic Differences among Economics Baccalaureates. The Minority Report. AEA 1, 9-11.