Current Status and Statistics

Statistics on Women in Engineering

Information Provided by Karen Horting

 Advanced Placement Tests
In 2004
– 55% of Overall AP test-takers were girls
– 48% of Calculus AP test-takers were girls
– 15% of Computer Science AP test-takers
were girls
 Women and Minorities as a Proportion of First-Year
Undergraduate Engineering Enrollments, 1990 to 2003
25.0

20.0
Women
15.0 African Am.
Percent

Hispanic
10.0
Asian
Nat. Amer.
5.0
Foreign Nat.

0.0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003
Source: CPST, data derived from Engineering Workforce Commission

First-year enrollment in engineering dropped 3% to 103,834 in 2003. Even more disturbing

is the continuing decline in recent years of women and African Americans as a proportion
of first year enrollments.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST), http://www.cpst.org
 Engineering Undergraduates
• Women:
– 20% of engineering undergraduates (16.9% of freshmen)
– 55% of all undergraduates
• African-Americans
– 5.3% of engineering undergraduates
– 10.8% of all undergraduates
• Latinos
– 5.4% of engineering undergraduates
– 6.4% of all undergraduates

• The percentages in engineering have been decreasing in recent years,

while overall participation in higher education among these groups has
increased considerably.
 STEM in the Workforce

Source: Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST)

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
 Engineering Degrees Awarded by
Gender

70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000 Male
30,000 Female
20,000
10,000
0
83

85

87

91

93

98

00

02
89

95

97

01
19

19

19

20
19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20
National Science Board 2006 Science and Engineering Indicators
 Percentage of Engineering Degrees
Awarded to Women
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
%Female
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
83

85

97

00

01

02
89

93

95

98
87

91
19

19

19

19
19

19

19

20

20

20
19

19

National Science Board 2006 Science and Engineering Indicators

 Percentage of Engineering Degrees
Awarded to Women by Discipline 2002
40.0%
35.0% All Engineering
30.0% Aerospace
25.0% Chemical
20.0% Civil
15.0% Electrical
10.0% Industrial
5.0% Materials
0.0% Mechanical
Other
83

85

87

89

91

93

95

97

98

00

01

02
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20
National Science Board 2006 Science and Engineering Indicators