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Table 1-2b. Sex of graduate students, postdoctoral appointees, and doctorate-holding nonfaculty researchers in science: 1977–2017

Year Graduate students Postdoctoral appointees Doctorate-holding nonfaculty researchers
Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
1977 242,932 168,724 69.5 74,208 30.5 na na na na na na na na na na
1978 236,465 NA NA NA NA na na na na na na na na na na
1979 247,235 163,845 66.3 83,390 33.7 12,519 10,045 80.2 2,474 19.8 1,915 1,448 75.6 467 24.4
1980 251,265 163,212 65.0 88,053 35.0 13,042 10,427 79.9 2,615 20.1 2,184 1,662 76.1 522 23.9
1981 252,404 160,306 63.5 92,098 36.5 13,731 10,859 79.1 2,872 20.9 2,445 1,910 78.1 535 21.9
1982 255,146 160,354 62.8 94,792 37.2 13,698 10,538 76.9 3,160 23.1 2,809 2,177 77.5 632 22.5
1983 255,820 159,126 62.2 96,694 37.8 14,562 11,191 76.9 3,371 23.1 3,348 2,659 79.4 689 20.6
1984 256,903 159,672 62.2 97,231 37.8 14,979 11,446 76.4 3,533 23.6 3,442 2,654 77.1 788 22.9
1985 261,973 162,435 62.0 99,538 38.0 15,576 11,724 75.3 3,852 24.7 3,529 2,637 74.7 892 25.3
1986 266,077 164,075 61.7 102,002 38.3 16,512 12,288 74.4 4,224 25.6 3,356 2,456 73.2 900 26.8
1987 269,256 165,060 61.3 104,196 38.7 17,369 12,845 74.0 4,524 26.0 3,250 2,379 73.2 871 26.8
1988 272,309 164,199 60.3 108,110 39.7 18,024 13,282 73.7 4,742 26.3 3,348 2,483 74.2 865 25.8
1989 278,577 166,313 59.7 112,264 40.3 18,978 13,845 73.0 5,133 27.0 3,470 2,554 73.6 916 26.4
1990 289,383 170,340 58.9 119,043 41.1 19,853 14,426 72.7 5,427 27.3 3,745 2,804 74.9 941 25.1
1991 299,057 173,925 58.2 125,132 41.8 20,595 14,882 72.3 5,713 27.7 3,872 2,862 73.9 1,010 26.1
1992 312,478 179,486 57.4 132,992 42.6 21,514 15,336 71.3 6,178 28.7 3,660 2,727 74.5 933 25.5
1993 318,851 180,001 56.5 138,850 43.5 22,219 15,724 70.8 6,495 29.2 4,003 2,930 73.2 1,073 26.8
1994 318,118 177,057 55.7 141,061 44.3 23,181 16,218 70.0 6,963 30.0 4,156 3,022 72.7 1,134 27.3
1995 315,265 173,068 54.9 142,197 45.1 23,512 16,335 69.5 7,177 30.5 4,395 3,245 73.8 1,150 26.2
1996 311,957 168,540 54.0 143,417 46.0 23,892 16,585 69.4 7,307 30.6 4,426 3,185 72.0 1,241 28.0
1997 306,482 163,191 53.2 143,291 46.8 24,293 16,745 68.9 7,548 31.1 4,408 3,151 71.5 1,257 28.5
1998 304,818 160,379 52.6 144,439 47.4 25,023 17,080 68.3 7,943 31.7 4,497 3,182 70.8 1,315 29.2
1999 309,491 160,982 52.0 148,509 48.0 25,784 17,545 68.0 8,239 32.0 4,761 3,312 69.6 1,449 30.4
2000 309,424 159,691 51.6 149,733 48.4 26,911 18,456 68.6 8,455 31.4 4,931 3,447 69.9 1,484 30.1
2001 319,736 164,574 51.5 155,162 48.5 27,044 18,275 67.6 8,769 32.4 4,707 3,150 66.9 1,557 33.1
2002 335,166 171,516 51.2 163,650 48.8 28,371 18,844 66.4 9,527 33.6 5,019 3,369 67.1 1,650 32.9
2003 347,268 176,458 50.8 170,810 49.2 29,856 19,675 65.9 10,181 34.1 5,493 3,691 67.2 1,802 32.8
2004 352,307 177,714 50.4 174,593 49.6 30,116 19,835 65.9 10,281 34.1 5,880 3,877 65.9 2,003 34.1
2005 357,710 178,297 49.8 179,413 50.2 30,290 19,791 65.3 10,499 34.7 6,069 4,042 66.6 2,027 33.4
2006 363,246 180,084 49.6 183,162 50.4 30,245 19,542 64.6 10,703 35.4 6,658 4,460 67.0 2,198 33.0
2007olda 372,120 183,799 49.4 188,321 50.6 30,986 20,339 65.6 10,647 34.4 6,517 4,327 66.4 2,190 33.6
2007newa 384,523 187,722 48.8 196,801 51.2 31,281 20,532 65.6 10,749 34.4 6,526 4,332 66.4 2,194 33.6
2008 391,419 190,959 48.8 200,460 51.2 32,741 20,760 63.4 11,981 36.6 8,669 5,497 63.4 3,172 36.6
2009 401,008 196,577 49.0 204,431 51.0 34,388 21,616 62.9 12,772 37.1 8,698 5,421 62.3 3,277 37.7
2010b,c 407,291 201,263 49.4 206,028 50.6 37,351 23,052 61.7 14,299 38.3 12,751 7,819 61.3 4,932 38.7
2011c 414,440 205,449 49.6 208,991 50.4 37,335 23,027 61.7 14,308 38.3 13,363 8,245 61.7 5,118 38.3
2012 413,033 205,036 49.6 207,997 50.4 36,738 22,662 61.7 14,076 38.3 13,264 8,167 61.6 5,097 38.4
2013 417,251 208,262 49.9 208,989 50.1 36,289 22,340 61.6 13,949 38.4 13,932 8,534 61.3 5,398 38.7
2014oldd 425,148 215,884 50.8 209,264 49.2 36,184 22,270 61.5 13,914 38.5 14,283 8,777 61.5 5,506 38.5
2014newd 437,395 223,592 51.1 213,803 48.9 37,316 22,953 61.5 14,363 38.5 14,674 8,977 61.2 5,697 38.8
2015 448,654 229,578 51.2 219,076 48.8 37,639 23,011 61.1 14,628 38.9 15,667 9,568 61.1 6,099 38.9
2016 452,046 231,826 51.3 220,220 48.7 37,941 23,225 61.2 14,716 38.8 15,940 9,681 60.7 6,259 39.3
2017olde 450,343 227,482 50.5 222,861 49.5 37,816 22,991 60.8 14,825 39.2 na na na na na
2017newe 415,568 214,568 51.6 201,000 48.4 38,241 23,262 60.8 14,979 39.2 17,268 10,346 59.9 6,922 40.1
Master's students
2017newe 229,169 115,056 50.2 114,113 49.8 na na na na na na na na na na
Doctoral students
2017newe 186,399 99,512 53.4 86,887 46.6 na na na na na na na na na na
na = not applicable; master's and doctoral students were not reported separately until 2017, and data on postdoctoral appointees (postdocs) and nonfaculty researchers (NFRs) were not collected until 1979. NA = not available; master's-granting institutions were not surveyed in 1978, and the survey of doctorate-granting institutions did not collect data by sex.
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. See appendix A in https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf10307/ for more detail.
b In 2010, the postdoc and NFR section of the survey was expanded and significant effort was made to ensure that appropriate personnel were providing postdoc and NFR data. Thus, it is unclear how much of the increases in 2010 and later years over 2009 and prior years are from growth in postdocs and NFRs and how much are from improved data collection. More information on the changes to the data collection is available at https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13334/.
c Postdoc and NFR data from 2010 and 2011 were reimputed following the 2012 data collection; these data supersede those contained in previous reports.
d In 2014, the survey frame was updated following a comprehensive frame evaluation study. The study identified potentially eligible but not previously surveyed academic institutions in the United States with master's- or doctorate-granting programs in science, engineering, or health. A total of 151 newly eligible institutions were added, and two private for-profit institutions offering mostly practitioner-based graduate degrees were determined to be ineligible. For more information, see https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2016/nsf16314.
e As part of 2017 GSS redesign, the GSS taxonomy was changed to align with the NCSES Taxonomy of Disciplines (TOD), thus increasing comparability with other NCSES surveys. As a result, some eligible fields were reclassified and a small number of fields became fully or partially ineligible. Comparisons to prior years should use the 2017old estimates and should be limited to broad areas of study—detailed field comparisons are not recommended.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to total because of rounding.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.