See also: Engineering gender roles (Quicktime, 4 min 11 sec)
Carlos Matthew Palacio, a News Service intern majoring in technocultural studies, producer and videographer
Why do you choose a particular major?
Many people manage to find their way through the process of determining their career free from gender bias.
But if you look at the male-to-female ratios of various undergraduate majors at UC Davis (see chart below), you might wonder about the relationship between gender and certain majors.
In this video produced by Carlos Matthew Palacio, a News Service intern majoring in technocultural studies, students talk about their choice of major and the social pressures they see among their peers.
These social pressures to conform to other’s expectations are powerful, acknowledges Kim Shauman, an associate professor of sociology who studies the success of women in science and engineering careers and appears in the video.
Nevertheless, Shauman envisions a society full of competitive, high-performing thinkers, pioneers, scientists, horse wranglers, veterinarians, engineers, computer scientists, pastry chefs, car-sales representatives, business owners and fashion designers.
It’s an integrated work force in which women and men are contributing to their full potential in the field of their choice.
| Major | Male | Female | Total | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological Sciences | 731 | 1,160 | 1,891 | 39–61 |
| Psychology | 396 | 1,026 | 1,422 | 28–72 |
| Economics | 567 | 288 | 855 | 66–34 |
| Biochem & Molecular Biology | 362 | 429 | 791 | 46–54 |
| Political Science | 361 | 350 | 711 | 51–49 |
| Animal Science | 113 | 563 | 676 | 17–83 |
| English | 187 | 438 | 625 | 30–70 |
| Civil Engineering | 441 | 148 | 589 | 75–25 |
| International Relations | 192 | 395 | 587 | 34–66 |
| Communication | 182 | 389 | 571 | 32–68 |
| Sociology | 125 | 357 | 482 | 30–70 |
| Managerial Economics | 263 | 177 | 440 | 60–40 |
| Design | 107 | 317 | 424 | 25–75 |
| Neurobio, Physiology & Behavior | 135 | 285 | 420 | 32–68 |
| History | 221 | 168 | 389 | 57–43 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 330 | 36 | 366 | 90–10 |
| Human Development | 30 | 327 | 357 | 8–92 |
| Chemistry | 165 | 175 | 340 | 49–51 |
| Exercise Biology | 127 | 194 | 321 | 40–60 |
| Mathematics | 175 | 136 | 311 | 56–44 |
* In fall 2007, women comprised 56 percent of the UC Davis undergraduate student body, which totaled 23,499.
Source: Summary of Students, Fall Quarter 2007: A Report of the University Registrar, UC Davis