Communications of the ACM
College Majors With the Greatest Gender Disparities
Half of women who take a tech role drop it by the age of 35.
Credit: Canva
Gender disparities persist in college majors, then trickle down to careers, including in computer science and electrical engineering. Some progress has been made in encouraging more women to enter male-dominated fields and to close gaps in wages. Computer programming is one example where the wage gap has shrunk since 2016. But in other cases, inequities persist.
StudySoup compiled data to identify 15 college majors with the greatest gender disparities. The data is submitted by all U.S. colleges participating in the Title IV federal financial aid program, with 2017–18 being the most recent year available. Five of the majors involve computing and engineering.
- 7. Computer Engineering, General: 87.4% male students; 12.6% female.
- 10. Electrical and Electronics Engineering: 85.6% percent male students; 14.4% female.
- 11. Computer and Information Sciences, General: 82.2% male students;17.8% female.
- 12. Computer Science: 81.7% male students; 18.3% female.
- 15. Information Technology: 79.8% male students; 20.2% female.
Men are not only over-represented in computing, they also can expect to have higher incomes. A 2021 study by the U.S. National Science Foundation found that among those with doctorates in mathematics and computer sciences, men anticipated a median salary of $125,000 compared to $101,500 for women.
From Caledonian Record
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