Women in STEM

Twenty years ago, women were awarded twice as many computer science degrees as they were in 2008. Of course, there are more fields open to women today. But that only explains part of the reason this well-paid, fast-growing field is losing women.

“Though we can’t be certain of the cause of the decline, research suggests several likely possibilities,” says Catherine Ashcraft, senior research scientist at the National Center for Women & Information Technology at the University of Colorado. “Many of these are related to the image of computer science and the lack of female role models and mentors. Girls get subtle messages from all sorts of places — the media, popular culture, parents, teachers, school counselors, other authority figures — that computer science isn’t really ’something girls do.’”

For decades, M.B.A. programs have failed to attract a critical mass of female students, even as admissions offices scramble to target their recruiting practices at women.

The numbers of women pursuing business education remains low. While law and medical schools have nearly reached gender parity, M.B.A. programs admit only about 30% women annually.

Women M.B.A.s also lack professional mentors and role models in the classroom, where female faculty represent a minority.

Despite the expansive gender gap in investment management, research suggests that the small universe of women managing assets are dramatically outperforming their benchmarks, most notably in down markets.  This article highlights NCRW's Women in Fund Management report, exploring gender differences in risk management, and asking women fund managers to respond to the research results.  Finally, the article explores why so few women reach the upper ranks of fund management, and ways to encourage more women to enter the industry.

Women in life sciences research still earn less than their male counterparts, with no obvious explanation for the disparity, researchers found. After accounting for professional characteristics and publication volume, female researchers earned an average of $13,228 less per year than men, according to Catherine DesRoches of Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and colleagues.