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Year in School
The perception of problems for women in science, engineering and math does
vary by year in school, and the patterns differ for males and females. The female students
enter as first-year students with a perception that all of the issues are somewhat
problematic for women. However, after the first and second years at Rowan, the
perception of problems for women is much lower. The senior women again perceive all
of the issues as problematic, most especially the conflict between family and career
(Table IIG-12).
TABLE IIG-12
PERCEPTION OF PROBLEMS FOR WOMEN IN ENGINEERING BY YEAR IN SCHOOL
(Females, Mean Factor Scores)
Year in School SOCPROB FEMPROB FAMPROB (n)
First Year .410 .384 .251 (20)
Sophomore -.351 -.291 -.386 (18)
Junior -.349 -.354 -.111 (14)
Senior .037 .084 .392 (9)
The female patterns of perceiving problems for women in SEM are different from the
male patterns by year in school. As a result of these different patterns for the genders, the
gap between male and female students in their perception of problems for women in
engineering is different for each of the years (Figures IIG-1, IIG-2, and IIG-3). The
difference between male and female perceptions is greatest for first-year students:
females are much more likely to perceive each of these areas as problematic for women
in SEM. In the sophomore year, the perception of problems is quite similar for the
genders, as female students are much less likely to consider the issues seriously
problematic than the first-year female students, and males’ perception is not very
different from the first-year male students. The junior male students are more likely than
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