A recent brief from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics has revealed that a million individuals worldwide held a research doctoral degree in a science, engineering, or health (SEH) field that was earned at a U.S. academic institution, an increase of over 55,000 doctorate recipients since 2015.
According to the report, a total of 967,500 (88%) were residing in the United States, and over one-third of them were women (338,400).
Other key findings in the report
The number of U.S.-trained female SEH doctorate holders working in the United States has more than doubled, from 119,350 in 1997 to 287,250 in 2017.
In 1997, men outnumbered women in all broad science and engineering (S&E) occupational categories. However, by 2017, the number of female psychologists (44,050) was higher than the number of male psychologists (30,150), with women now making up almost 60% of all psychologists.
In addition to comprising the majority of psychologists, women are also well represented among U.S-trained life scientists (that is, biological, agricultural, and other life scientists) and social scientists.
In 2017, 41% of employed life scientists and 44% of employed social scientists were women, compared with their overall share of 35% among employed SEH doctorate holders. A similar pattern was seen in 1997, when 27% of employed life scientists and employed social scientists were women, compared with 23%.
Currently, the labor force participation of U.S.-trained SEH doctorate holders in the United States is 86%.
The business or industry sector employs the largest share of U.S.-trained SEH doctorate holders in the United States (48%), whereas most jobs held by those working abroad were in the education sector (65%).
These findings are from the 2017 Survey of Doctorate Recipients—a source of information about the educational background, occupational achievements, and career movements of U.S.-trained scientists and engineers in the United States and abroad.
The Survey of Doctorate Recipients, along with other surveys conducted by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation, provides data on the number and representation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in post-secondary SEH enrollment, degree awards, and employment outcomes. highlight the increased prevalence of women with U.S.-earned SEH doctorate degrees in the U.S. workforce.
Among those doctorate recipients living outside the United States in 2017, a majority (54%) lived in Asia and nearly 20% lived in Europe (including Russia).
The 2020 Women of Color STEM Conference is scheduled for October 8-10.