A post-secondary degree is frequently a pathway to career advancement and higher earning potential, and although African American women's college enrollment has increased substantially, their graduation rates have not experienced comparable growth. Prior research demonstrates that social adjustment to college predicts persistence and attrition. It…

We leverage variation in the timing of women's colleges' transitions to coeducation throughout the 1960s-2000s to study how exposure to a gendered social environment affects women's human capital investments. Applying event study and synthetic control analyses to newly collected historical data, we find that the share of women majoring in STEM at…

This article reports on a study that investigated the relationship between three dimensions of campus racial climate and faculty satisfaction with a large, nationally representative faculty sample (N = 29,169), using a multilevel structural equation model. Results indicate that campus racial climate has a large and highly significant effect upon…

This study examined the contributions of campus racial climate perceptions and other college environments to overall sense of belonging among racially diverse women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. The sample included 1,722 women from the 2004 National Study of Living-Learning Programs. Using a conceptual…

Investigated the value of an instrument measuring noncognitive variables and scores on the Scholastic Assessment Tests as predictors of academic achievement of women college students. Found both noncognitive (especially demonstrated community service) and academic variables (mathematical and verbal skills) were significantly related to women's…

A study followed 445 Wellesley College (Massachusetts) women students matriculating in 1991 through their college years to isolate factors associated with persistence in math and science. Data were gathered through three surveys (at orientation, at the end of the sophomore year, and before graduation) and in focus groups over the 4 years of the…