Although the number of women achieving doctoral degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields has grown since the 1960s, the number of women in faculty positions in those fields remains lower than expected, said Brian Rubineau, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Cornell's ILR School, at the June 18-19 Graduate Women in Science (GWIS) conference at Cornell.

In biology and psychology, women now outnumber men. But this should not be viewed as a success story in which women have overcome obstacles and thrive in a STEM field, said Rubineau and panelist Beth Livingston, assistant professor of human resource studies. Rather, said Livingston, these fields are naturally conducive to the success of women, so "women have found fields where they don't have to challenge the structure."

Added Rubineau, "As women move into a discipline, the field becomes more specialized and segregated ... and then those places become re-typed," molding the field into one that is newly perceived as feminine, encouraging more women to join.

The demographics of a pool of candidates for a faculty position should reflect those of the individuals in the pipeline, which is often more balanced in gender diversity, said panelist Martha Haynes, professor of astronomy. New datasets used by Cornell, such as the CU-ADVANCE pipeline data, allow hiring committees to ensure that their candidates' backgrounds are as gender and ethnically diverse as possible, she added.

Mentoring, leadership training, social events and, most importantly, university ideological and financial commitment improve gender diversity, noted panelist and geneticist Jennifer Ingram of Duke University and president of GWIS. A university's commitment can range from grants to associate professors to boost their research program and help them attain full professor status to funding dual-career hires among prospective female faculty members with spouses.

"It is not as bad as it used to be but it's not perfect yet, and therefore we have to keep talking about it," said Haynes. However, with new programs intended to help women in science, the future is looking brighter.

"When you remove barriers so that it's equal for everybody, it really does become more integrated," Rubineau concluded.

At another panel, Vice Provost and Graduate School Dean Barbara Knuth said that "finding balance between the demands of a STEM career and a fulfilling personal life requires conscious choices, good time management skills and an ability to weigh advice you receive in terms of what is best for you and your value system." Your mentor's advice, she noted, is grounded in his or her life experiences and goals, and women need to "consider the advice you receive, accept and act on it when it seems right, but also reject it if it doesn't reflect your own priorities and values."

She added that the Graduate School will soon hire an associate dean for inclusion and professional development to provide workshops and counseling on time management, productive mentor-mentee relationships and communication and other skills to help support student development and success.

Other panels addressed such issues as feminism and meritocracy, gender equality and choosing between academic and nonacademic careers.

GWIS is a national society founded at Cornell in 1921 that is aimed at supporting female scientists throughout their graduate school and professional careers.

Graduate student Kate Engler is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.