Free Post Week of 10/3

Week of 10/3 Free Post

Gender Roles in Material Science

For my free post this week, I will be talking about gender roles in material science. I'm curious what the ratio of male to female acquiring this degree. I am going to try and find the information specifically for Michigan State, but if I can't I will use information from multiple other colleges. I also want to research who is more successful in general in this field. I already know men hold the majority, but I am curious about the actual statistics. 

I found this video on women talking about engineering, stating it is more male dominant but also gives a woman's viewpoint.

I couldn't find any specific information about the ratio of men to women in material science, so I had to broaden my search to engineering in general. I also couldn't find information specifically involving MSU, but I did find a website called statistics on women engineering, which seems to be pretty official. According to this information only 20% of undergraduate engineering majors are female, which is a lower number than I thought it would be. Furthermore, 20% of the degrees awarded go to females, and of that 20%, 25% are in material science. 

After researching I found out mostly what I was expecting, the numbers were just lower than I thought they would be. I personally believe that women should be offered the same opportunities if they are putting in the same amount of work. Everyone deserves an equal chance, and I know I've met women that are smarter than men.

Karen, Horting. "Statistics on Women in Engineering." SWE. The Society of Women Engineers, 2008.                  Web. 8 Oct 2013.

Man Vs Woman. 2013. Photograph. LERA. Web. 8 Oct 2013.