Using data on the anticipated and final majors of 1700 students at eight women's colleges and 818 female students at seven coed colleges, the author tests whether women at single-sex institutions were more likely than their counterparts at coed schools to remain in traditionally male-dominated subjects and whether they were more likely to shift from traditionally female-dominated subjects. Depending on how broadly “female-dominated majors” is defined, 40% to 75% of women at women's colleges who began in such majors shifted to neutral or male-dominated fields during their college careers, compared to only about 25% of women at coed schools. Approximately 22% of women at both types of school left male-dominated majors.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AlexanderVictoria D., and ThoitsPeggy A.. 1985. “Token Achievement: An Examination of Proportional Representation and Performance Outcomes.”Social Forces, Vol. 64, No. 2 (December), pp. 332–40.
2.
AngleJohn, and WissmanDavid A.. 1981. “Gender, College Major, and Earnings.”Sociology of Education, Vol. 54, No. 1 (January), pp. 25–33.
3.
Barron's Educational Series. 1992. Profiles of American Colleges, 19th edition. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron's Educational Series.
4.
BergerMark. 1988. “Predicted Future Earnings and Choice of College Major.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 41, No. 3 (April), pp. 418–29.
5.
BlakemoreArthur E., and LowStuart A.. 1984. “Sex Differences in Occupational Selection: The Choice of College Majors.”Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 66, No. 1 (February), pp. 157–63.
6.
DaymontThomas N., and AndrisaniPaul J.. 1984. “Job Preferences, College Major, and the Gender Gap in Earnings.”Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Summer), pp. 408–28.
7.
FilerRandall K.1983. “Sexual Differences in Earnings: The Role of Individual Personalities and Tastes.”Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Winter), pp. 82–99.
8.
FiorentineRobert. 1987. “Men, Women, and the Premed Persistence Gap: A Normative Alternatives Approach.”American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 92, No. 5 (March), pp. 1118–39.
9.
FriedanAlan, and StaafRobert J.. 1973. “Scholastic Choice: An Economic Model of Student Behavior.”Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Summer), pp. 396–404.
10.
FullerRex, and SchoenbergerRichard. 1991. “The Gender Salary Gap: Do Academic Achievement, Internship Experience, and College Major Make a Difference?”Social Science Quarterly, Vol. 72, No. 4 (December), pp. 715–26.
11.
GerhartBarry. 1990. “Gender Differences in Current and Starting Salaries: The Role of Performance, College Major, and Job Title.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 43, No. 4 (April), pp. 418–33.
12.
GoldmanRoy D., and HewittBarbara Newlin. 1976. “The Scholastic Aptitude Test ‘Explains’ Why College Men Major in Science More Often Than College Women.”Journal of Counseling Psychology, Vol. 23, No. 1 (January), pp. 50–54.
13.
HallRoberta M.1982. The Classroom Climate: A Chilly One for Women?Washington, D.C.: Association of American Colleges.
14.
JacobsJerry A.1985. “Sex Segregation in American Higher Education.” In LarwoodLaurieStrombergAnn H., and GutekBarbara A., eds., Women and Work: An Annual Review, Vol. 1. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage, pp. 191–214.
15.
JacobsJerry A.1986. “The Sex-Segregation of Fields of Study: Trends During the College Years.”Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 57, No. 2 (March/April), pp. 134–54.
16.
JacobsJerry A.1989. Revolving Doors: Sex Segregation and Women's Careers. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press.
17.
KochJames V.1972. “Student Choice of Undergraduate Major Field of Study and Private Internal Rates of Return.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 26, No. 1 (October), pp. 680–85.
18.
LysonThomas A.1981. “The Changing Sex Composition of College Curricula: A Shift-Share Approach.”American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Winter), pp. 503–11.
19.
Miller-BernalLeslie. 1989. “College Experiences and Sex-Role Attitudes: Does a Women's College Make a Difference?”Youth and Society, Vol. 20, No. 4 (June), pp. 363–87.
20.
National Center for Educational Statistics. 1993. Digest of Educational Statistics 1993. Report NCES 93–292. Washington, D.C.: Department of Education, Office of Education Research.
21.
O'DonnellJo Anne, and AndersenDale G.. 1978. “Factors Influencing Choice of Major and Career of Capable Women.”Vocational Guidance Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 3 (March), pp. 214–21.
22.
OttMary D.1978. “Retention of Men and Women Engineering Students.”Research in Higher Education, Vol. 9, No. 2 (October), pp. 137–50.
23.
PaglinMorton, and RufoloAnthony M.. 1990. “Heterogeneous Human Capital, Occupational Choice, and Male-Female Earnings Differences.”Journal of Labor Economics, Vol. 8, No. 1 (January), pp. 123–44.
24.
PengSamuel S., and JaffeJay. 1979. “Women Who Enter Male-Dominated Fields of Study in Higher Education.”American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Summer), pp. 285–93.
25.
Peterson's Guides. 1992. Peterson's Guide to Four Year Colleges. Princeton, N.J.: Peterson's Guides.
26.
PolachekSolomon W.1978. “Sex Differences in College Major.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 31, No. 4 (July), pp. 498–508.
27.
TidballM. Elizabeth. 1980. “Women's College and Women Achievers Revisited.”Signs, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Spring), pp. 504–17.
28.
TidballM. Elizabeth. 1985. “Baccalaureate Origins of Entrants into American Medical Schools.”Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 56, No. 4 (July/August), pp. 385–402.
29.
TidballM. Elizabeth. 1986. “Baccalaureate Origins of Recent Natural Science Doctorates.”Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 57, No. 6 (November/December), pp. 606–20.
30.
WareNorma C.StecklerNicole A., and LesermanJane. 1985. “Undergraduate Women: Who Chooses a Science Major?”Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 56, No. 1 (January/February), pp. 73–84.
