Programmatic Innovations that Accord with the Retention of Women in STEM Careers

TL;DR

This study documents a multi-year, multi-faceted programmatic approach at a liberal arts physics program that significantly increased women's retention and graduation rates in STEM careers, demonstrating the effectiveness of combined strategies.

Contribution

It presents a detailed case study of innovative programmatic strategies that improved women’s retention and success in physics within a liberal arts setting, supporting national best practices.

Findings

200% increase in women degree recipients over ten years

Higher retention rates for women compared to men

Approximately 90% of women physics majors entered science careers within five years

Abstract

Gender representation in the physical sciences remains inequitable and continues to lag behind other fields. Even though there exists adequate documentation regarding programmatic postures and innovations, difficulties persist within the physics discipline. In this paper, we present innovative, programmatic implementations over an eight-year period at an undergraduate, liberal arts physics program. Some of these innovations accord with nationally-published, `best practices' for undergraduate physics programs, while others are novel to the program's context. Within this eight-year period, alterations are separated into curricular, co-curricular, and experiential elements. Innovations are introduced in some detail, and data are presented before, during, and after their introduction. While it is currently impossible to say which elements had the greatest impact, the synergistic combination did have a positive effect on the program. Not only did the number of total majors and graduates increase, there was a 200% increase of women degree recipients compared to the previous ten years, which boosted average graduation rates above the national average (30% > 20%). Women were retained within the undergraduate physics major at a higher percentage during this time period when compared to men in the program. Lastly, these women physics majors maintained careers in science advancement fields at a rate of ~90% after $\leq5$ years post-graduation. While this paper presents a singular case study, the purpose is two-fold: a) to validate quantitatively the work of national physics organizations within the context of a liberal arts institution, and b) to suggest that a multi-level approach is most efficacious when considering programmatic innovations.