Women
Field of study
Women's share of doctorates awarded has grown over the past 2 decades in all broad fields of study. In 2016, women earned the majority of doctorates awarded in life sciences (55%), psychology and social sciences (59%), education (70%), and humanities and arts (52%).
Although women earned less than one-third of the 2016 doctorates awarded in physical sciences and earth sciences and less than one-fourth of the doctorates in engineering, their relative shares of doctorates awarded in those fields has been growing rapidly. From 1996 to 2016, the share of doctorates in physical sciences and earth sciences awarded to women increased from 22% to 31%, and the share of women in engineering grew from 12% to 23%. The share of female doctorate recipients in mathematics and computer sciences grew, although more modestly, from 18% to 24% during this period.
Share of doctorates awarded to women, by broad field of study: 1996–2016
| Year | All fields | Life sciences | Physical sciences and earth sciences | Mathematics and computer sciences | Psychology and social sciences | Engineering | Education | Humanities and arts | Other non-S&E fields |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 40.1 | 43.5 | 21.9 | 18.3 | 51.7 | 12.4 | 61.9 | 48.4 | 40.6 |
| 1997 | 40.9 | 44.9 | 22.8 | 20.6 | 52.9 | 12.4 | 63.3 | 46.7 | 39.9 |
| 1998 | 42.0 | 45.5 | 24.5 | 21.8 | 54.5 | 13.1 | 63.0 | 47.7 | 43.0 |
| 1999 | 42.7 | 44.6 | 23.7 | 22.5 | 54.7 | 14.9 | 64.2 | 47.4 | 42.3 |
| 2000 | 43.9 | 47.0 | 25.2 | 21.0 | 54.7 | 15.8 | 64.9 | 49.0 | 43.5 |
| 2001 | 44.0 | 47.1 | 25.5 | 23.4 | 54.7 | 16.9 | 64.6 | 48.8 | 44.8 |
| 2002 | 45.4 | 47.5 | 27.4 | 25.1 | 55.4 | 17.6 | 66.2 | 49.4 | 46.8 |
| 2003 | 45.4 | 48.3 | 27.8 | 23.7 | 55.7 | 17.3 | 66.1 | 49.5 | 46.3 |
| 2004 | 45.5 | 49.5 | 27.4 | 24.9 | 55.4 | 17.7 | 65.9 | 50.9 | 47.3 |
| 2005 | 45.2 | 50.9 | 27.9 | 23.5 | 55.8 | 18.4 | 66.8 | 49.8 | 49.6 |
| 2006 | 45.1 | 51.6 | 29.1 | 25.3 | 57.5 | 20.2 | 65.2 | 49.7 | 48.6 |
| 2007 | 45.5 | 51.4 | 30.4 | 24.1 | 58.6 | 20.7 | 67.4 | 48.8 | 51.5 |
| 2008 | 46.1 | 52.9 | 29.1 | 26.1 | 58.5 | 21.5 | 67.1 | 51.3 | 49.8 |
| 2009 | 46.8 | 54.5 | 31.4 | 26.3 | 58.5 | 21.4 | 66.9 | 51.0 | 49.4 |
| 2010 | 46.8 | 54.9 | 32.3 | 25.3 | 57.4 | 23.0 | 68.6 | 50.9 | 51.4 |
| 2011 | 46.4 | 54.5 | 31.1 | 24.9 | 59.5 | 22.2 | 69.3 | 50.8 | 52.2 |
| 2012 | 46.2 | 55.4 | 32.0 | 24.5 | 58.3 | 22.3 | 68.7 | 50.7 | 50.2 |
| 2013 | 46.2 | 55.0 | 33.4 | 23.7 | 59.2 | 22.8 | 68.2 | 50.5 | 51.1 |
| 2014 | 46.1 | 55.7 | 32.6 | 24.3 | 59.8 | 22.8 | 69.3 | 50.0 | 51.2 |
| 2015 | 46.2 | 55.5 | 33.6 | 24.6 | 58.6 | 23.3 | 68.5 | 50.6 | 51.6 |
| 2016 | 46.0 | 55.1 | 31.4 | 24.2 | 58.7 | 23.1 | 69.9 | 51.9 | 49.9 |
- S&E = science and engineering.
- NOTE: Percentages are based on the number of doctorate recipients for whom sex was reported.
- SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities 2016. Related detailed data: tables 14, 15, 16.
