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NCSES GSS 2012 GSS2012 33 SAS Output Newer information icon. Newer information is available.
Table 33. Female postdoctoral appointees in science, engineering, and health in all institutions, by detailed field: 2006–12

Field 2006 2007olda 2007newa 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
All surveyed fields 17,583 17,852 17,898 20,221 21,818 24,570 24,472 24,685
   Science and engineering 11,526 11,482 11,592 13,084 14,157 15,789 15,807 15,665
      Science 10,703 10,647 10,749 11,981 12,772 14,299 14,308 14,076
         Agricultural sciences 311 314 328 426 398 449 475 513
         Biological sciences 7,690 7,653 7,598 8,358 8,640 9,581 9,293 8,787
            Anatomy 167 162 149 147 169 196 178 139
            Biochemistry 914 835 819 860 923 1,001 892 857
            Biology 909 887 838 1,023 1,018 1,084 1,024 995
            Biometry and epidemiology 145 170 175 155 193 269 223 247
            Biophysics 69 61 56 45 51 83 63 65
            Botany 242 189 189 252 261 224 214 239
            Cell biology 947 858 887 1,014 1,142 1,193 1,165 1,127
            Ecology 75 79 75 96 96 96 81 97
            Entomology and parasitology 64 83 83 75 90 98 119 122
            Genetics 356 390 392 408 430 605 625 592
            Microbiology, immunology, and virology 901 1,017 979 974 993 1,153 1,211 1,144
            Nutrition 134 170 160 142 128 143 147 148
            Pathology 686 705 708 778 838 874 786 719
            Pharmacology 592 565 566 614 659 748 687 603
            Physiology 522 460 499 540 588 641 691 615
            Zoology 37 45 42 36 32 28 29 36
            Biological sciences nec 930 977 981 1,199 1,029 1,145 1,158 1,042
         Communication a ne ne 16 14 15 23 24 21
         Computer sciences 88 96 79 85 100 130 142 155
         Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 445 389 382 468 487 593 652 744
            Atmospheric sciences 33 28 28 26 34 54 56 71
            Geosciences 154 148 151 186 165 180 196 226
            Oceanography 115 129 129 147 161 160 188 203
            Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences nec 143 84 74 109 127 199 212 244
         Family and consumer sciences and human sciences a ne ne 4 13 14 23 43 44
         Mathematical sciences 125 104 104 146 170 186 190 193
            Mathematics and applied mathematics 107 94 93 122 152 169 167 162
            Statistics 18 10 11 24 18 17 23 31
         Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies a ne ne 63 124 166 280 240 263
         Neuroscience a na na 109 157 250 387 610 661
         Physical sciences 1,403 1,358 1,345 1,443 1,669 1,682 1,626 1,661
            Astronomy 81 81 81 112 143 141 153 148
            Chemistry 978 923 908 930 1,089 1,016 932 966
            Physics 314 322 324 366 400 479 486 488
            Physical sciences nec 30 32 32 35 37 46 55 59
         Psychology b 460 526 519 505 610 623 627 642
            Clinical psychology 48 58 58 49 102 98 67 72
            Psychology, general 263 286 281 309 336 350 336 331
            Psychology nec 149 182 180 147 172 175 224 239
         Social sciences 181 207 202 242 253 342 386 392
            Agricultural economics 11 15 13 16 16 16 16 23
            Anthropology (cultural and social) 36 30 30 48 47 49 45 53
            Economics (except agricultural) 2 13 15 8 18 18 10 15
            Geography 18 10 10 16 23 23 19 27
            History and philosophy of science 4 5 4 5 5 7 6 6
            Linguistics 14 19 16 13 4 10 12 17
            Political science 25 24 24 33 35 43 101 75
            Sociology 26 36 30 25 34 52 60 62
            Sociology and anthropology 3 0 0 2 1 0 1 1
            Social sciences nec 42 55 60 76 70 124 116 113
      Engineering 823 835 843 1,103 1,385 1,490 1,499 1,589
         Aerospace engineering 26 19 19 19 24 30 32 31
         Agricultural engineering 20 32 32 32 30 38 38 43
         Architecture a na na 2 4 11 5 7 3
         Biomedical engineering 169 163 163 217 324 325 344 388
         Chemical engineering 138 136 141 186 234 236 271 268
         Civil engineering a 100 81 78 118 125 148 153 149
         Electrical engineering 75 105 104 139 158 169 153 185
         Engineering science 28 34 34 41 54 46 61 59
         Industrial engineering 15 18 17 45 28 40 27 27
         Mechanical engineering 68 78 78 106 141 148 126 150
         Metallurgical and materials engineering 109 112 121 132 147 174 181 172
         Mining engineering 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 1
         Nuclear engineering 16 14 11 15 15 15 15 12
         Petroleum engineering 5 6 6 6 7 12 6 14
         Engineering nec 51 37 36 42 87 104 85 87
   Health b 6,057 6,370 6,306 7,137 7,661 8,781 8,665 9,020
      Clinical medicine 5,255 5,502 5,370 6,195 6,561 7,590 7,594 7,760
         Anesthesiology 136 134 134 142 166 206 171 181
         Cardiology 123 130 138 173 198 247 256 316
         Endocrinology 138 147 152 170 233 227 226 258
         Gastroenterology 98 103 103 101 107 118 147 153
         Hematology 95 124 124 147 173 149 162 175
         Neurology a 652 688 565 613 653 625 485 451
         Obstetrics and gynecology 112 101 101 131 158 201 204 199
         Oncology and cancer research 504 626 661 728 758 865 835 869
         Ophthalmology 149 176 176 215 222 207 216 241
         Otorhinolaryngology 59 57 57 55 61 55 75 60
         Pediatrics 438 436 436 513 529 718 758 878
         Preventive medicine and community health 139 174 180 229 245 362 376 420
         Psychiatry 444 478 453 532 552 604 614 684
         Pulmonary disease 48 72 72 91 97 119 135 129
         Radiology 282 312 295 299 340 361 336 328
         Surgery 366 361 351 385 441 456 469 529
         Clinical medicine nec 1,472 1,383 1,372 1,671 1,628 2,070 2,129 1,889
      Other health b 802 868 936 942 1,100 1,191 1,071 1,260
         Dental sciences 77 87 115 116 140 169 155 155
         Nursing 56 52 52 69 58 49 68 66
         Pharmaceutical sciences 229 261 280 289 353 388 360 360
         Speech pathology and audiology 26 48 48 34 39 32 30 38
         Veterinary sciences 221 208 250 244 243 242 240 311
         Other health nec 193 212 191 190 267 311 218 330

na = not applicable; data were not collected at this level of detail. ne = not eligible; data were not collected for this field prior to 2007.
nec = not elsewhere classified.
a In 2007, eligible fields were reclassified, newly eligible fields were added, and the survey was redesigned to improve coverage and coding of eligible units. “2007new” presents data as collected in 2007; “2007old” shows data as they would have been collected in prior years. The science fields Communication and Family and consumer sciences and human sciences were newly eligible in 2007; data for these two fields begin in 2007new. The science field Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies was also added to the code list in 2007; some data reported in this field were reported under other fields before 2007 and are included in those fields in 2007old. Neuroscience is reported as a separate field of science in 2007new; data were reported under health field Neurology in 2007old and previous years. Architecture is reported as a separate field of engineering in 2007new; data were reported under Civil engineering in 2007old and previous years. See appendix A in http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf10307/ for more detail.
b In 2010, the postdoc section of the survey was expanded, and significant effort was made to ensure that appropriate personnel were providing postdoc data (see appendix A for more information). Thus, it is unclear how much of the increases in 2010 and later years over 2009 and prior years are from growth in postdoctoral appointments and how much are from improved data collection. More information on the changes to the postdoc data collection is available at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13334/.
c Postdoc data from 2010 and 2011 were reimputed following the 2012 data collection; these data supersede those contained in previous reports.
NOTES: “Field” refers to the field of the unit that reports postdocs to the GSS.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, NSF-NIH Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.
Data from survey cycle Fall 2012, as of December 2013.