Difference between revisions of "Undergraduate participation data"

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==General==
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Since 1980, women have received only about 30% of Bachelor's degrees in Economics, and the percentage of Bachelor's degrees in Economics awarded to racial minorities has hovered around 12% since 1996. These imbalances at the undergraduate level contribute to the underrepresentation of women and minorities at all levels of the academic economics pipeline.   
Since 1990, 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.
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Strikingly, female, black, and Hispanic students comprise larger percentages of science and engineering majors than they do economics majors.
  
 
==Race==
 
==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) [http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/CSMGEP/pipeline/archives/06conference_files/GregoryPrice_Paper.pdf]. The Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession has attempted to alleviate this issue through its programs. Please click [http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/CSMGEP/index.php here] for more information on CSMGEP.
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Throughout the years, an extensive literature concerning underrepresented minorities in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field has developed. The field of Economics has yet to gain the same level attention, even though significant differences in participation are evident for Black and Hispanic college students.  
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In 2011, institutions awarded 5% of Bachelor’s degrees in Economics to Black students and 7% to Hispanic students. In contrast, Black students received 8% of degrees in STEM fields and 10% of degrees in Political Science. Hispanic students received 8% of Bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields and 11% of the Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science.  
  
Significant differences in participation are especially evident for Black and Hispanic students. In 2009, institutions have awarded 5.3 percent of bachelor’s degrees in Economics to Black students. In contrast,  Black students received 8 percent of degrees in STEM fields and 10.1 percent of degrees in Social Science fields. Similarly, in 2009, institutions awarded 6.4 percent of bachelor’s degrees in Economics  to Hispanic students, whereas Hispanic students received 7.3 percent of bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields and 9.9 percent of the bachelor’s degrees in the Social Sciences.
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[[File:SSRace.png|308px]][[File:EconByRace.png|332px]][[File:STEMRace.png|308px]]
 
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<span style="font-size:80%; ">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 with data provided by WebCaspar. Includes only U.S. citizens and permanent residents.  
[[File:EconByRace.png|315px]][[File:STEMRace.png|315px]][[File:SSRace.png|315px]]
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</span>
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System(IPEDS) Completions, 1995-2009 (Washington , D.C.: NCES, 2011). Created by data provided by WebCaspar.
 
 
 
'''Comparison Data:''' Click [[Participation Rates by Race in Economics, the Social Sciences, and STEM fields|here]] to see a comparison of participation rates by race in Economics, the Social Sciences, and STEM fields.
 
  
 
==Gender==
 
==Gender==
In Economics, women have made great strides in terms of increasing their representation in the field. Despite these accomplishments, there is still work to be done, especially early on in the pipeline at the undergraduate level. Attracting a greater percentage of women to the field of economics at the undergraduate level has shown to be crucial in order to have greater representation at the doctorate 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 [http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/cswep/ here]
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The STEM fields and other social sciences attract many more female majors than does Economics. While women receive only 30% of the undergraduate degrees in Economics, they receive over 50% in both Political Science and STEM.
 
 
The STEM fields and the other Social Sciences attract many more female majors than does Economics. While women are only awarded 30 percent of the undergraduate degrees in Economics, they are awarded about 54 percent of undergraduate degrees in the Social Sciences and 52 percent of the degrees in STEM.
 
  
[[File:EconByGen.png|315px]][[File:STEMGen.png|315px]][[File:SSGen.png|315px]]
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Attracting a greater percentage of women to economics at the undergraduate level is crucial to having greater representation at the Ph.D. level. A recent [http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/CSWEP/newsletters/CSWEP_nsltr_SprSum_2013.pdf newsletter] from The Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession ([http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/cswep/ CSWEP]) explores the gender gap in the undergraduate economics.  
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System(IPEDS) Completions, 1995-2009 (Washington , D.C.: NCES, 2011). Created by data provided by WebCaspar.  
 
  
'''Comparison Data:''' Click [[Participation Rates by Gender in Economics, the Social Sciences, and STEM fields|here]] to see a comparison of participation rates by gender in Economics, the Social Sciences, and STEM fields
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[[File:SSGen.png|285px]][[File:EconByGen.png|320px]][[File:STEMGen.png|275px]]
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<span style="font-size:80%; ">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 with data provided by WebCaspar.
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</span>
  
 
== Time Trends ==
 
== Time Trends ==
 
[[File:EconDegYear.png|470px]]
 
[[File:EconDegYear.png|470px]]
[[File:EconDeg%.png|470px]]
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[[File:EconDegnew.png|470px]]
 
'''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 1980s, this trend has reversed in recent years. Since 2001, the number of men receiving Economics degrees has increased from approximately 15,000 to 22,500, whereas the number of women receiving Economics degrees has only increased from approximately 7,500 to 10,000. Male degree recipients now outnumber female recipients by more than two to one.
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The plots above show time trends in undergraduate Economics degrees awarded to men and women since 1966. 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 on the ratio of male and female Economics degrees since 1966. While the percentage of women receiving Economics degrees steadily increased between 1971 and 1986, it has remained fairly constant around 30% since then. This, along with the lower growth rate of female Economics graduates, suggests that the participation rates of women in Economics may continue to stagnate without more work on the part of educators to encourage female students.
 
 
 
[[Media:CHAS_Wiki_97-2003.xls|Click here]] to download a basic database of Economics degrees earned by Gender from 1966-2009.
 
'''Source:''' U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System(IPEDS) Completions, 1995-2009 (Washington , D.C.: NCES, 2011). Created by data provided by WebCaspar
 
 
 
{{hidden|Secondary Sources|http://www.cswep.org/newsletters/CSWEP_nsltr_Winter2007.pdf
 
  
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Econ/wparchive/workpaper/vu06-w11.pdf
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The diagram on the right presents historical data analogous to the pie chart above, reporting 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.
  
http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/cswep/newsletters/CSWEP_nsltr_Fall_2006.pdf
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<span style="font-size:80%; ">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 with data provided by WebCaspar.
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</span>
  
http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/aer.99.2.700}}
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'''See more [[Participation data]].'''

Latest revision as of 11:05, 2 January 2014

Since 1980, women have received only about 30% of Bachelor's degrees in Economics, and the percentage of Bachelor's degrees in Economics awarded to racial minorities has hovered around 12% since 1996. These imbalances at the undergraduate level contribute to the underrepresentation of women and minorities at all levels of the academic economics pipeline.

Strikingly, female, black, and Hispanic students comprise larger percentages of science and engineering majors than they do economics majors.

Race

Throughout the years, an extensive literature concerning underrepresented minorities in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field has developed. The field of Economics has yet to gain the same level attention, even though significant differences in participation are evident for Black and Hispanic college students.

In 2011, institutions awarded 5% of Bachelor’s degrees in Economics to Black students and 7% to Hispanic students. In contrast, Black students received 8% of degrees in STEM fields and 10% of degrees in Political Science. Hispanic students received 8% of Bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields and 11% of the Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science.

SSRace.pngEconByRace.pngSTEMRace.png 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 with data provided by WebCaspar. Includes only U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Gender

The STEM fields and other social sciences attract many more female majors than does Economics. While women receive only 30% of the undergraduate degrees in Economics, they receive over 50% 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. A recent newsletter from The Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession (CSWEP) explores the gender gap in the undergraduate economics.

SSGen.pngEconByGen.pngSTEMGen.png 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 with data provided by WebCaspar.

Time Trends

EconDegYear.png EconDegnew.png Click on the graphs above to zoom.

The plots above show time trends in undergraduate Economics degrees awarded to men and women since 1966. 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, reporting 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, 1995-2011 (Washington , D.C.: NCES, 2013). Created with data provided by WebCaspar.


See more Participation data.