From Diversifying Economic Quality: A Wiki for Instructors and Departments
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'''Click on the graphs above to zoom.''' | '''Click on the graphs above to zoom.''' | ||
− | '''Summary:''' The plots above show time trends in Economics degrees awarded to men and women. The diagram on the left shows that the number of degrees awarded in the field of Economics has steadily increased, indicating that the field as a whole has attracted more interest. Though the number of women in Economics was increasing faster than the number of men during the | + | |
+ | '''Summary:''' The plots above show time trends in undergraduate Economics degrees awarded to men and women. The diagram on the left shows that the number of degrees awarded in the field of Economics has steadily increased, indicating that the field as a whole has attracted more interest. Though the number of women in Economics was increasing faster than the number of men during the 1970s, the trend has reversed in recent years. | ||
− | The diagram on the right presents data | + | The diagram on the right presents historical data analogous to the pie chart above and reports the percentage of Economics Bachelor's degrees received by women for each year since 1966. The percentage has not changed very much since the 1980s, hovering around the 30% mark. |
− | + | '''Source:''' U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System(IPEDS) Completions, (Washington , D.C.: NCES, 2013). Created by data provided by WebCaspar. | |
− | '''Source:''' U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System(IPEDS) Completions, | ||
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Revision as of 06:13, 25 October 2013
Since 1980, women have only constituted about 30 percent of undergraduate economic majors. This imbalance at the undergraduate level contributes to the underrepresentation of women at all levels of the academic economics pipeline.
The percentage of racial minorities awarded undergraduate degrees in economics has hovered around 12 percent since 1996. Since 2002, the total percentage of minorities awarded undergraduate degrees in science and engineering has hovered around 17 percent and for social sciences as a whole, 20 percent. The fact that minority students comprise a larger percentage of science and engineering majors (fields that are typically criticized due to the lack of minority representation) than they do economics majors is alarming.
Race
Throughout the years, an extensive literature concerning underrepresented minorities in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field has developed, yet the field of Economics has yet to gain the same level attention. Data have shown that underrepresented minorities should have a greater stake in the field of Economics. For example, by comparing census data for geographic regions to the racial make up of Economics faculty of schools within those regions, studies have shown that Black American Economists "are chronically, and in many cases vulgarly underrepresented on the economics faculties of Ph.D granting economics departments in the United States" (Price, 2006) [1]. The Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession has attempted to alleviate this issue through its programs. Please click here for more information on CSMGEP.
Significant differences in participation are especially evident for Black and Hispanic college students. In 2011, institutions awarded 5 percent of bachelor’s degrees in Economics to Black students. In contrast, Black students received 8 percent of degrees in STEM fields and 10 percent of degrees in Political Science. Similarly, in 2011, institutions awarded 7 percent of bachelor’s degrees in Economics to Hispanic students, whereas Hispanic students received 8 percent of bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields and 11 percent of the bachelor’s degrees in Political Science.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System(IPEDS) Completions, 1995-2011 (Washington , D.C.: NCES, 2013). Includes only U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Created by data provided by WebCaspar.
Gender
The STEM fields and other Social Sciences attract many more female majors than does Economics. While women receive only 30 percent of the undergraduate degrees in Economics, they receive over 50 percent in both Political Science and STEM.
Attracting a greater percentage of women to economics at the undergraduate level is crucial to having greater representation at the Ph.D. level. The Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession has, like CSMGEP, brought attention to this issue and has created programs promoting women in economics. For more information on CSWEP, please click here
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System(IPEDS) Completions, 1995-2011 (Washington , D.C.: NCES, 2013). Created by data provided by WebCaspar.
Time Trends
Click on the graphs above to zoom.
Summary: The plots above show time trends in undergraduate Economics degrees awarded to men and women. The diagram on the left shows that the number of degrees awarded in the field of Economics has steadily increased, indicating that the field as a whole has attracted more interest. Though the number of women in Economics was increasing faster than the number of men during the 1970s, the trend has reversed in recent years.
The diagram on the right presents historical data analogous to the pie chart above and reports the percentage of Economics Bachelor's degrees received by women for each year since 1966. The percentage has not changed very much since the 1980s, hovering around the 30% mark.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System(IPEDS) Completions, (Washington , D.C.: NCES, 2013). Created by data provided by WebCaspar.