Statistical Trends in Women’s Participation in Science: Commentary on Valla and Ceci (2011)

Abstract

Valla and Ceci (2011, this issue) describe the participation of women in science and claim that the increases in quantitative fields (e.g., mathematics, engineering, and physical sciences) are an exception to the statement that “Women’s growth in the scientific workforce has been meteoric over the past 40 years” (p. 134). We disagree and present statistics demonstrating a more positive view of the increase of the number of women in quantitative fields.