Higher education teaching opportunities available to women are considerably lower than opportunities for men, resulting in an under representation of women in academia, according to a recent study.

The study, released in January by the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, is focused on demonstrating how women's acceptance into higher education positions in science, engineering and technology is falling behind. The report states that while women hold about 20 percent of life science doctorates and 30 percent of doctorates in the social sciences, they compose 14.8 percent of faculty nationally in life sciences and 15.4 in social sciences.

Penn State assistant professor of History and Women's Studies Jennifer Mittelstadt said the disparity in women's achievement and in higher education is not something new.

"What is surprising is its persistence over time. One would suspect that you would see commensurate numbers of women at ranks of full professorships, and you don't," Mittelstadt said.

At Penn State University Park, women compose 32.6 percent of the faculty, while men make up 67.4 percent, as of fall 2006. Penn State did not have specific numbers available regarding the gender disparity within the science, engineering and technology fields at the university.

Penn State Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Blannie Bowen, said Penn State is constantly trying to diversify the professorate but women tend to fall behind men in certain disciplines.

"Science, engineering and technology, and math are where women are historically under represented and there are many programs nationally that increase the number of women who become faculty now," Bowen said. "When we recruit for a position we do not say that we are looking for man or women but for some fields it is just the nature of the pool of talent."

University of Texas at Austin professor Gretchen Ritter, who served on a panel with study co-author Alice Agogino, said she wasn't surprised by the study's findings.

"Women are not given the same professional development opportunities as males are, and there is an implicit stereotyping that affects women's opportunities for hiring and promotion," Ritter said. "Women in academics are more likely to have substantial family obligations, and universities are not good at supporting family care. That impedes professional development."

In January, Noel-Levitz, an organization that helps college campuses improve their enrollment, marketing and student success goals, released a report that showed women outpace men in college performance. Yet there is a difference in the number of college women graduating and the number of women hired in high education positions.

"What goes wrong is a big question," Mittelstadt said. "If 40 to 50 percent of women are getting their Ph.D.s, then you would expect to see them at all ranks and you don't, so that's really where you see this enormous gap. In 1975 you may have expected to see fewer women professors, but now in recent years, you would expect these women work all the way up the rank," she said.

Mittelstadt said that isn't the only problem plaguing the hiring and promotion of women.

"There is still just plain gender discrimination. In which case, sometimes men still discriminate against women," Mittelstadt said.

Penn State student Daniel Evans (junior-physics) said he notices no discrepancies in the genders of his professors.

"Actually, right now I am in a physics major and there is an equal balance between my male and female professors," he said.