Pivotal Career Decisions Guiding Potential Women Science Faculty

描述（由申请人提供）：自 20 世纪 70 年代以来，实施了许多计划和干预措施来鼓励更多女性进入科学职业。虽然在某些领域的培训早期阶段已经实现了与男性的平等，但进展却很不平衡，其中在教授领域取得的进展最少。尽管许多因素被认为可能是导致进展缓慢的原因，但大多数因素都集中在阻碍专业进步的障碍上。然而，一个同样合理的解释是，越来越多的年轻女性（包括来自代表性不足群体的女性）认为自己完全有能力在学术生涯中取得成功，但选择不追求这一目标，其数量和比例稳步上升。为了设计干预措施来支持和促进女性在学术科学职业中的崛起，必须确定持续存在的障碍和积极的职业决策的相对贡献。目前还没有研究系统地尝试确定女性进入学术科学职业的低进展率是否是由于准备不足、持续歧视或年轻女性主动决定不追求这一职业道路造成的。在拟议的纵向研究中，将使用基于访谈的定性研究方法来揭示年轻女性的职业决策，通过实现以下具体目标：1）确定年轻女性在生物医学领域做出职业决策的过程和标准，特别是与学术职业相关的过程和标准，当她们从本科进入博士培训时，比较女子学院、具有强大女性科学（WIS）计划的学院和大学、历史上黑人学院和大学以及其他学院的不同种族的学生和大学； 2) 将这些女性的职业决策过程与这些学校中广泛且多样化的男性样本以及 NIGMS 资助的 MARC、RISE、IMSD 和 PREP 项目中的女性和男性进行比较； 3) 比较女性项目（WIS）和代表性不足的少数群体项目（MARC、RISE、IMSD 和 PREP）如何影响学生对学术职业的看法和兴趣； 4) 确定先前显示的预测学生可能进入生物医学博士课程的主题是否同样适用于 URM 和其他女性和男性，在这个更广泛的学生样本中； 5）确定社会认知职业理论可以在多大程度上解释职业决策的细化，重点关注性别角色社会化过程如何影响信念、态度和自我概念，进而影响动机、选择和行为，尤其是对女性而言。这项研究将扩展和补充一项正在进行的研究，该研究是由 NIGMS 少数族裔学生发展项目支持的学生中类似问题的研究。他们将共同对年轻科学家的职业决策过程以及干预和支持环境如何影响他们的决策提供无与伦比的理解。公共卫生相关性：对科学感兴趣的年轻女性进入大学的人数和比例稳步上升；现在进入并完成生物医学博士课程的人数通常超过男性。然而，她们在利用自己的才能进入教职职位方面，尤其是作为未来几代学生的榜样和导师，仍然远远落后于男性。妇女在决定研究优先事项和研究方法时的独特视角也至关重要。因此，充分了解人才流失的原因以及对其科学和专业发展的投资至关重要。拟议的研究将研究这个问题的一个方面，即年轻女科学家的决策过程，以确定必须采取哪些不同的措施来提高她们的参与度、成功率并晋升到大学生命科学教师中的领导地位。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Since the 1970s, many programs and interventions have been implemented to encourage more women to enter science careers. While parity with men has been achieved in the early stages of training for some fields, progress has been very uneven, with the least progress being made in the professorate. Although many factors have been proposed as likely contributors to this slow progress, most focus on barriers preventing professional advancement. However, an equally plausible explanation is that a steadily rising number and fraction of young women, including those from underrepresented groups, see themselves as perfectly capable of succeeding in an academic career, but are choosing not to pursue it. In order to design interventions to support and promote the rise of women in academic science careers, it is essential that the relative contributions of persistent barriers and active career decision-making be determined. No studies have systematically attempted to determine if the low rate of progression of women into academic science careers is due to inadequate preparation, persistent discrimination, or active decisions of young women not to pursue this career path. In the proposed longitudinal study, interview-based qualitative research methods will be use to reveal the career decision-making of young women by accomplishing the following Specific Aims: 1) Determine the processes and criteria young women are using to make career decisions in the biomedical sciences, especially related to academic careers, as they progress from undergraduate into PhD training, comparing students with different ethnicities in women's colleges, colleges and universities with strong Women in Science (WIS) programs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and other colleges and universities; 2) Compare the career decision-making processes of these women with a broad and diverse sample of men in these schools, and women and men in NIGMS-sponsored MARC, RISE, IMSD and PREP programs; 3) Compare how activities of programs for women (WIS) and those for underrepresented minorities (MARC, RISE, IMSD and PREP) influence students' perceptions of and interest in academic careers; 4) Determine if themes previously shown to predict students likely to enter biomedical PhD programs hold equally for URM and other women, and men, in this broader sample of students; 5) Determine the degree to which refinement of career decisions can be explained by Social Cognitive Career Theory, with a focus on how sex role socialization processes affect beliefs, attitudes and self concepts which in turn affect motivation, choices and behaviors especially for women. This research will expand and complement an ongoing study of similar questions in students supported by NIGMS minority student development programs. Together, they will provide an unparalleled understanding of the career decision-making processes of young scientists and how interventions and supportive environments affect their decisions. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: A steadily rising number and fraction of young women enter college with an interest in science; the number entering and completing biomedical PhD programs now often outnumber men. Yet, their progression into faculty positions that utilize their talents, especially as role models and mentors for future generations of students, continues to lag far behind men. The unique perspectives of women in deciding upon priorities for research and approaches to research are also essential. Thus, it is critically important to fully understand the basis for this loss of talent and the investment in their scientific and professional development. The proposed research will study one aspect of this problem, the decision-making processes of young female scientists, to determine what has to be done differently to increase their participation, success and rise to leadership positions among university life science faculty.