Analysis of the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty: Does a gender gap persist among science faculty

The purpose of this study was to examine the veracity of the ongoing claim that a gender gap persists among postsecondary science faculty despite more than three decades of federal, state and private sector programs as well as affirmative action legislation, designed to identify and educate women and minorities in mathematics and science. This study concentrated specifically on the experience of women in the physical sciences focusing on tenure track hiring, salary parity, publication rates, instruction and research opportunities, etc.—general job satisfaction—relative to those of male science faculty.; This research sought to determine whether these variables were significant contributors to the alleged gender gap, and determine their quantitative significance. The variables selected were the result of an extensive literature review focusing on cultural and economic factors; gate-keeping and glass ceiling experiences; and pre- and post-employment experiences as postsecondary science faculty.; Data regarding these variables was obtained from the restricted edition of the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF), 1993 conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Office of Educational Research and Improvement of the U.S. Department of Education. NSOPF surveyed more than 11,000 faculty at U.S. institutions of higher learning, using a stratified sample, and had a response rate of more than 80%.; The statistical methodology discussed in this analysis included the use of Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and maximum likelihood in the form of Linear Structural Relations (LISREL) modeling. LISREL is more powerful than path analysis and goes beyond the more typical exploratory factor analysis and allows the researcher to do confirmatory factor analysis.; The resulting analysis indicated that despite most efforts and the optimistic tones of government reports of the 1990s, a gender gap exists between men and women in postsecondary sciences. Women have yet to reach a critical mass as faculty in most departments, earn less than their male counterparts, have less access to research resources and publish with slightly less frequency. Surprisingly though, despite these conditions and after overcoming gate keeping and glass ceiling practices—women report about the same level of satisfaction with their jobs as men do.