Where do all the oceanographers go? Career paths in physical oceanography

And is there a difference between men and women

With Lisa Gerber, Susan Lozier , Renellys Perez, Amelia Shevenell, Laurie Sindlinger, Mark Warner

What kind of data is available?• NSF 2009: survey of doctorate recipients

– Physical Scientists– Geoscientists

• NSF 2008: doctorate completion surveys– Oceanographers

• O’Connell and Holmes (two papers)– Geoscientists– Oceanographers

• MPOWIR (Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention) data– Current makeup of PO faculty– Survey of PO doctorate recipients

• 1999-2009 Survey of UW Oceanography Graduate Program

What is the job distribution of PO PhDs?MPOWIR data

• Faculty job distribution at 17 institutions in 2006 (WHOI, RSMAS, URI, UW, SIO, OSU, Lamont, FSU, NC State, Texas A&M, Rutgers, Old Dominion, UH, NC State, U of Alaska, U of Maine, UNC)– 238 men and 42 women

• PO PhDs from 6 Institutions since 1980 (UW, SIO, OSU, WHOI, RSMAS, URI)– 257 men, 92 women– Half of total 2001-2005 graduates from 17 institutions– Found current position from internet searches (Fall 2009)– All but 10 men and one woman were found– Removed post-doctoral fellows

Doctorate recipients: geosciences vs. other physical sciences by employment sector

Geosciences: Earth/Atmospheric/Ocean SciencesPhysical Sciences: Astronomy/Astrophysics, Chemistry except biochemistry, Earth/Atmospheric/Ocean Sciences, Physics

Data taken from: NSF 2009 (note response rate 78%)Education

Industry

Govern

ment0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Physical SciencesEarth Atmos/Ocean Sciences

Percentage in job types at academic institutions in PO (2006): 55% in tenure track, 45% in research track (280 counted)

Institutions: WHOI, RSMAS, URI, UW, SIO, OSU, Lamont, FSU, NC State, Texas A&M, Rutgers, Old Dominion, UH, NC State, U of Alaska, U of Maine, UNC, 42 women and 238 men, MPOWIR

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Res. Asso

ciate

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10

15

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Distribution by option by UW graduates(71 total)

Tenure track Research Faculty

Government Industry Research Staff and Instructor

Other0

5

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BOCOMGGPO

Percentage in each job category PO PhDs nationwide: the plurality in tenure track positions

with many in research faculty and government positions (1999-2009)

Tenure track Research Faculty

Government Industry Research Staff and Instructor

Other0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

AllUW

All: 280 people counted, for UW, 26 total

What these results tells us• There are many career paths that physical

oceanographers can take with the vast majority using their PhDs

• Physical oceanographers are more likely to be employed by government than by industry

• Research faculty positions are as common as tenure track positions

• Question: are there differences between men and women?

In the news• Newsweek, March 19, 2010• Are We There Yet?

In 1970, 46 women filed a landmark gender-discrimination case. Their employer was NEWSWEEK. Forty years later, their contemporary counterparts question how much has actually changed.

• New York Times, March 21, 2010• Bias Called Persistent Hurdle for Women in Sciences The report,

“Why So Few?,” supported by the National Science Foundation, examined decades of research to cull recommendations for drawing more women into science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the so-called STEM fields.

At Ocean Sciences

• 42% of presentations were oral• In many Physical Oceanography sessions only

1/8 of presentations were by women• In at least two physical oceanography

sessions there were no female speakers

Where is the drop off of women occurring?

• Examine graduate student attrition in our program

• Examine current positions on PO faculties

• Examine job distribution by time

The number of women and men getting PhDs in Oceanography is reaching parity

From 2001-2005, 34 women and 86 men got their PhD in PO from 17 institutions surveyed (30% women)

O’Connell and Holmes, 2005

PO Male PhDs

PO Female PhDs

The graduate school pipeline at UW Oceanography: 1999-2009

• 61M/85F started at UW (58% women)• 11M/21F left with Masters (65% women)• 19M/16F left with PhD (46% women)

Number of Men and Women by sub-discipline at 6 oceanography institutions (2004-2005)

O’Connell and Holmes, 2005411 scientists counted

Percentage of men and women in job types at academic institutions in Physical Oceanography (2006)(17 Institutions)

Institutions: WHOI, RSMAS, URI, UW, SIO, OSU, Lamont, FSU, NC State, Texas A&M, Rutgers, Old Dominion, UH, NC State, U of Alaska, U of Maine, UNC, 42 women and 238 men

Assista

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rofessor

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1015202530354045

MaleFemale

Percentage of women and men by job category in PO after post-doc (6

Institutions)

Tenure track Research Faculty

Government Industry Research Staff and Instructor

Other0

5

10

15

20

25

30

MaleFemale

More jobs in industry, fewer in government, fewer women are gaining tenure track positions

in the last decade (6 Institutions)

PhD before 1996

PhD 1996 and after

Tenure tr

ack

Research

Faculy

Governmen

t

Industry

Research

staff and in

stucto

rsOther

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MaleFemale

Tenure tr

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Research

Faculy

Governmen

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Staff an

d Instr

uctors

Other05

1015202530

MaleFemale

138 men, 43 women

119 men, 49 women

Are these results consistent with the other data?

• The percentage of female PhDs is increasing (NSF 2008):In 1998, 24.5% of Oceanography PhDs were womenIn 2007, 45.7% of Oceanography PhDs were women

• BUT the percentage of female faculty is not: In geosciences, in 1996-1997 20% of assistant professors were women while in 2004-2005 it was 26% (Holmes et al, 2008)

PO Faculty produced by UW: 1999-2009

• Over last 10 years, 1/10 female PhDs have ended up in a tenure track position

• 4/16 Male PhDs have ended up in a tenure track position

How do the careers of women and men differ?

• Our research suggests that although more women are gaining their PhD in recent years, they are less likely to obtain a tenure track position than they used to be, and they are less likely to obtain a tenure track position then men

Reasons for the missing female faculty: why we should care

• While we are training students for a wide variety of careers, giving them skills for a changing job market, we may not be giving half of our students role models that they can identify with in academia

Reasons for the missing female faculty?

• First anti-affirmative action legislation (Proposition 209 in California) implemented 1997

• I-200 in Washington State implemented 1998• Critical mass (above 15%) of female faculty

reached by mid 90s, 10 women of earlier cohort got faculty positions out of 59 total faculty hires (17%), in later cohort, it was 4 out of 36.

What is being done?

• NSF ADVANCE: Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers

• MPOWIR (Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to increase retention)– With focus on senior graduate students, post-

docs, and early career women

Concerns not unique to PO

• The imposter syndrome continues to effect women Jan 2010 Nature article Self-doubt plagues female Astronomers

• Initiation of study to follow 1143 PhD Astronomers for 15 years starting in 2008

Why is the pipeline leaky for women? Holmes et al (2008) focus group of geoscientists at all levels

• Male perception of problem: 1. The pipeline2. Women’s views and choices3. Societal expectations of women

• Female perception of problem: 1. Structural problems with academia2. The pipeline3. Climate issues

Why is the pipeline leaky for women? The structure of academia

• Family issues1. Having to move for husband2. Overwhelmed after birth of 2nd child3. Lack of day care/flexible work4. Biological clock and tenure incompatibility

• Lack of female mentors (cited more by men)1. Women mostly have male mentors2. 69% (41%) of male (female) tenure track professors have children

• Chilly climate issues1. Lack of clear communication with advisors2. Being cut out of field work3. Inappropriate workplace

Why is the pipeline leaky for women? Women’s views and choices

• Some comments by men (and one senior woman):Women are choosing different career pathsWomen don’t like field work Women have low interest in subjectWomen lack self confidenceWomen prefer to teach

• However:Women talked as much or more than men about their researchInstitutions with higher teaching loads are no more family friendly

• Women may need more explicit encouragementWomen’s self-confidence is “extrinsic”, based on validation from others

References• O’Connell, S. and M. A. Holmes, 2005, Women of the academy and the sea,

Oceanography, 18, 12-24• Holmes, M. A., S. O’Connell, C. Frey and L. Ongley, 2008, Gender imbalance

in US geoscience academia, Nature Geoscience, 1, 79-82. • National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics. 2009.

Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States: 2006. Detailed Statistical Tables, NSF 09-317. Arlington, VA.

• National Science Foundation, 2008 Division of Science Resources Statistics, special tabulations of U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey, 1998–2007.