Spring Break
Gender ratio imbalance persists in many majors
Males still outnumber females in some science, engineering depts.
Issue date: 11/29/07
Kristina Johnson, a female engineer appointed provost this year, now occupies Hopkins's second-most important leadership position.
"I'm sure Dr. Johnson will help us in our quest to promote even higher levels of equity in the genders and create a more diverse student body. As a school, we are really making remarkable progress and we're doing really well in comparison to competitors internationally but there is certainly more we can be doing," Jones said.
Most male engineering students do not seem to mind that their classes have mostly male students, and most agree that there are no significant barriers to women who are interested. The interest, however, may be what is crucially lacking.
"Hopkins has always been predominantly male-driven, but there has been an increase of women wanting to come here because there has been an increase in awareness in programs which are really interesting, such as French and Writing Seminars." said Cuong Nguyen, a male freshman majoring in philosophy.
"A lot of people think language study draws more females," said Deborah Mifflin, a professor of German.
"I have the same amount of males as females in my advanced group. I actually think it is very balanced. Even in our graduate program it's very balanced. I see it as a healthy mix," she said.
This year, majors that attract significantly more males than females include: economics (137 male, 22 female), physics (34 male, 12 female), and political science (71 male, 27 female).
Majors declared by more women than men include: History of Art (24 female, 5 male), Psychological and Brain Sciences (101 female, 50 male), public health (189 female, 82 male), and Writing Seminars (69 female, 20 male).
"I don't think this says anything about either gender," said David Rezzo, a freshman chemical and biological engineering major.
" Some areas of studies just tend to generate interests from some personalities more so than others. I think it is safe to say that there are distinct traits of a male personality and a female personality."
In the Krieger School of Arts there are 1,742 full-time female undergraduates, compared to 1,451 full-time male undergraduates.
At the graduate level, the picture is a bit different, with 548 full-time male graduate students compared to 448 full-time female graduate students. Taken as a whole, the School of Arts and Sciences has 2,217 female students and 2,036 male students. This number includes both full and part-time undergraduates, post-baccalaureates and graduates.
"In college in general, there are more high-quality female applicants applying," said Katherine Stingl, a freshman behavioral biology major.
The University administration has worked on creating a diverse academic environment inclusive to all walks of life.
They have taken great strides, as seen in the dramatic transformation of the student body since 1970, and undoubtedly will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
"I'm sure Dr. Johnson will help us in our quest to promote even higher levels of equity in the genders and create a more diverse student body. As a school, we are really making remarkable progress and we're doing really well in comparison to competitors internationally but there is certainly more we can be doing," Jones said.
Most male engineering students do not seem to mind that their classes have mostly male students, and most agree that there are no significant barriers to women who are interested. The interest, however, may be what is crucially lacking.
"Hopkins has always been predominantly male-driven, but there has been an increase of women wanting to come here because there has been an increase in awareness in programs which are really interesting, such as French and Writing Seminars." said Cuong Nguyen, a male freshman majoring in philosophy.
"A lot of people think language study draws more females," said Deborah Mifflin, a professor of German.
"I have the same amount of males as females in my advanced group. I actually think it is very balanced. Even in our graduate program it's very balanced. I see it as a healthy mix," she said.
This year, majors that attract significantly more males than females include: economics (137 male, 22 female), physics (34 male, 12 female), and political science (71 male, 27 female).
Majors declared by more women than men include: History of Art (24 female, 5 male), Psychological and Brain Sciences (101 female, 50 male), public health (189 female, 82 male), and Writing Seminars (69 female, 20 male).
"I don't think this says anything about either gender," said David Rezzo, a freshman chemical and biological engineering major.
" Some areas of studies just tend to generate interests from some personalities more so than others. I think it is safe to say that there are distinct traits of a male personality and a female personality."
In the Krieger School of Arts there are 1,742 full-time female undergraduates, compared to 1,451 full-time male undergraduates.
At the graduate level, the picture is a bit different, with 548 full-time male graduate students compared to 448 full-time female graduate students. Taken as a whole, the School of Arts and Sciences has 2,217 female students and 2,036 male students. This number includes both full and part-time undergraduates, post-baccalaureates and graduates.
"In college in general, there are more high-quality female applicants applying," said Katherine Stingl, a freshman behavioral biology major.
The University administration has worked on creating a diverse academic environment inclusive to all walks of life.
They have taken great strides, as seen in the dramatic transformation of the student body since 1970, and undoubtedly will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
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