Talk About This Debate!

Here are a few suggestions on how to frame and discuss the debate that was sparked by comments by the Harvard president.

• AAUW welcomes this debate and hopes it will inspire further discussion and effective change. While we disagree with Dr. Summers’ original comments, we are thrilled that the response to his words has focused attention on the dilemma of women in science and mathematics, as well as the often-discriminatory challenges that female professors face in the tenure process.
  
  
• While women have made incredible strides in completing their college education, they continue to lag behind in key areas such as science and engineering. For example, in 2001-02, women earned only 28 percent of computer science degrees and just 21 percent of engineering degrees. These numbers drop even lower in postgraduate study. A lack of mentors, chilly environments, and no support systems are some of the contributing factors to these numbers.
  
  
• A lack of educational preparation in key subjects such as math, science, and technology is shutting women out of the jobs that would offer the best paths to financial independence. AAUW’s 2003 Women at Work report demonstrated that all women—and especially women of color—are less likely to enter the highest-growth, highest-income occupations than their male counterparts because they lack the education and training to enter these jobs.
  
  
• Women in academia continue to encounter tremendous barriers to getting tenure. AAUW’s Tenure Denied report revealed that in an academic setting, compared to men, on average, women earn less, hold lower-ranking positions, and are less likely to have tenure. Of the faculty at colleges and universities offering four-year degrees, only 27 percent of those awarded tenure are women. A lack of transparency, unclear standards, and biased behavior and decision-making in the tenure process contribute to this problem.
  

• In spite of their gains in educational achievement, women in all occupations are still facing a persistent gender earnings gap. A typical college-educated woman working full time earns $44,200 a year compared to $61,800 for college-educated male workers—a difference of $17,600.
  

• There are ways for us to create change. Each of AAUW’s research reports includes strategies to improve women’s lives. In the workplace, making training to enter high-growth fields as well as advocating for pay equity is a start. In academia, creating a tenure process that is clearly articulated, more transparent, and applied consistently are the first steps in helping women overcome discrimination. (See AAUW’s research reports for more specifics!) [link to: http://www.aauw.org/research/index.cfm]