Women preferred over men for faculty STEM jobs, says study

Science : Female applicants for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academic jobs are preferred two to one over identically qualified males, according to a new study . The findings are based on an exercise in which researchers invented hypothetical candidates for an assistant professorship and asked more than 800 tenure-track faculty members in STEM fields to rank them. The fictional candidates were provided with a job application summary and with personal information, such as whether they were married, had a working spouse, or had children. Overall, among equally qualified women and men, the women were much more likely to be hired. Critics point out, however, that the survey doesn’t take into account the many factors involved in real-world hiring decisions and doesn’t address the higher attrition rates of women once they’ve attained STEM positions.