Women in Philosophy

In 2009, approximately 30 percent of philosophy degree completions at all levels were women. This represents a considerable increase in the share of doctorate degrees earned by women, which was 19 percent in 1987. In contrast, the gender distribution of bachelors degrees remained more or less constant over the time period. Variability at the masters level was greater, with a striking increase over the late 1980s followed by a sharp decline in 1992. The mid-2000s were marked by another decline, although in 2009 the percentage of philosophy masters degrees earned by women increased somewhat (Academy of Arts and Sciences). Percentages of Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees in Philosophy Awarded to Women, 19872009 Year 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Bachelor' s 32.80 32.22 32.01 32.82 33.49 32.46 32.29 32.47 32.70 30.16 31.42 Master's 34.33 33.45 39.86 38.17 45.86 31.04 28.88 33.67 30.73 31.15 36.90 Doctoral 19.21 22.27 24.62 21.51 24.56 22.54 25.09 28.01 23.73 26.43 24.93 Year 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Master's

Bachelor' s 31.64 31.99 31.69 33.28 32.60 29.93 30.16 31.39 31.59 30.32 31.24
Doctoral

Master's 29.28 32.69 32.07 31.77 30.11 35.00 34.04 32.60 26.90 25.85 28.67

Doctoral 28.68 29.27 25.06 23.49 26.43 30.89 23.76 25.92 24.40 26.61 30.47

Bachelor's 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Data were not published for 1999. Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The IPEDS data were accessed and analyzed via the National Science Foundation's online science and engineering resources data system, WebCASPAR (https://webcaspar.nsf.gov/). Data and charts assembled by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for inclusion in the Humanities Indicators 2012. (Figure II-21g)
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