Female physicist doctoral experiences
The underrepresentation of women in physics doctorate programs and in tenured academic positions indicates a need to evaluate what may influence their career choice and persistence. This qualitative paper examines eleven females in physics doctoral programs and professional science positions in orde...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2013-04-01
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| Series: | Physical Review Special Topics. Physics Education Research |
| Online Access: | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.9.010115 |
| _version_ | 1818824210001166336 |
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| author | Katherine P. Dabney Robert H. Tai |
| author_facet | Katherine P. Dabney Robert H. Tai |
| author_sort | Katherine P. Dabney |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The underrepresentation of women in physics doctorate programs and in tenured academic positions indicates a need to evaluate what may influence their career choice and persistence. This qualitative paper examines eleven females in physics doctoral programs and professional science positions in order to provide a more thorough understanding of why and how women make career choices based on aspects both inside and outside of school and their subsequent interaction. Results indicate that female physicists experience conflict in achieving balance within their graduate school experiences and personal lives and that this then influences their view of their future careers and possible career choices. Female physicists report both early and long-term support outside of school by family, and later departmental support, as being essential to their persistence within the field. A greater focus on informal and out-of-school science activities for females, especially those that involve family members, early in life may help influence their entrance into a physics career later in life. Departmental support, through advisers, mentors, peers, and women’s support groups, with a focus on work-life balance can help females to complete graduate school and persist into an academic career. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T23:52:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5c1bd33dda09400ea1da992a6e247727 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1554-9178 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T23:52:15Z |
| publishDate | 2013-04-01 |
| publisher | American Physical Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Physical Review Special Topics. Physics Education Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-5c1bd33dda09400ea1da992a6e2477272022-12-21T20:46:52ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review Special Topics. Physics Education Research1554-91782013-04-019101011510.1103/PhysRevSTPER.9.010115Female physicist doctoral experiencesKatherine P. DabneyRobert H. TaiThe underrepresentation of women in physics doctorate programs and in tenured academic positions indicates a need to evaluate what may influence their career choice and persistence. This qualitative paper examines eleven females in physics doctoral programs and professional science positions in order to provide a more thorough understanding of why and how women make career choices based on aspects both inside and outside of school and their subsequent interaction. Results indicate that female physicists experience conflict in achieving balance within their graduate school experiences and personal lives and that this then influences their view of their future careers and possible career choices. Female physicists report both early and long-term support outside of school by family, and later departmental support, as being essential to their persistence within the field. A greater focus on informal and out-of-school science activities for females, especially those that involve family members, early in life may help influence their entrance into a physics career later in life. Departmental support, through advisers, mentors, peers, and women’s support groups, with a focus on work-life balance can help females to complete graduate school and persist into an academic career.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.9.010115 |
| spellingShingle | Katherine P. Dabney Robert H. Tai Female physicist doctoral experiences Physical Review Special Topics. Physics Education Research |
| title | Female physicist doctoral experiences |
| title_full | Female physicist doctoral experiences |
| title_fullStr | Female physicist doctoral experiences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Female physicist doctoral experiences |
| title_short | Female physicist doctoral experiences |
| title_sort | female physicist doctoral experiences |
| url | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.9.010115 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT katherinepdabney femalephysicistdoctoralexperiences AT roberthtai femalephysicistdoctoralexperiences |