Women have made great professional strides in the workforce but continue to face obstacles related to their gender, such as sexism and challenges related to balancing home and work. In fact, data show that at least half of all women in graduate degree programs drop out or consider dropping out of their Ph.D. programs. According to the Council of Graduate Schools, gender is the strongest predictor of doctoral degree completion in STEM fields, and the rate at which women complete their Ph.D. programs in these fields is 7 to 10 percent lower than their male counterparts.
Arizona State University researchers have created and launched an online, personal resilience training resource for women in science, technology, engineering and math fields that aims to increase their persistence in STEM doctoral programs. The CareerWISE web site was funded with a $3.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
As principal investigator Dr. Bianca L. Bernstein explained during the site’s formal launch at NSF headquarters in Arlington, Va., CareerWISE provides a four-step, problem-solving strategy to help women deal with problems that could lead them to leave their programs and includes hundreds of video clips from interviews with accomplished scientists and engineers in which they share their personal experiences and offer advice. The steps include assessing the problem, specifying an outcome, strategizing, and then executing a plan.
When conducting their research, the investigators wanted to learn more about what happens to women after they enter science and engineering doctoral programs and what factors lead them to doubt their capabilities or consider dropping out.
“These are women who are very accomplished and have already been very competitive to get into these programs. Moreover, one does not start a PhD program unless you’ve made a commitment to the field,” Bernstein said. “The very critical thing about the Ph.D. level is that it’s the passport, essentially, to faculty and research careers in STEM. So if somebody doesn’t finish, we’re losing another potential person to the research and faculty career progression.” Bernstein believes that this has a disproportionate impact on women working in fields in which they are already woefully underrepresented. The fewer there are, the more difficult it becomes to increase their numbers, she noted.
Bernstein described CareerWISE as a more experimental and even bolder approach to retention than other programs that typically try to make change at the institutional or department level. In interviews and focus groups, women provided examples of situations that have led to doubts or decisions to leave programs, such as inappropriate comments and touching or jokes about a woman’s place being in the home. Pregnancy can also impact whether a woman carries on for a variety of reasons that range from her adviser’s reaction to how chemicals could impact the baby.
“Often, it’s not that any one huge event happens; it’s that all these little things begin to erode your confidence and your decision to enter these programs or your ambition to continue,” Bernstein said. “We’re trying to equip each person who participates in CW with personal and interpersonal skills to embrace opportunities, to overcome any challenges and discouragements they have in the present, and to be prepared for future ones.”
