According to the National Research Council, women have gained ground in some ways. In fact, the council’s new report states that “men and women faculty in science, engineering and mathematics have enjoyed comparable opportunities” in recent years when it comes to being promoted and receiving tenure after they obtain a university job. On the other hand, the council also found that women are underrepresented within applicant pools, which is a fact that the council found to be quite puzzling. The council also found that women are more likely to apply for jobs within the science, engineering and mathematics fields if women are on the committee that is responsible for filling the open positions.

In another interesting report released by researchers from the University of Wisconsin, it appears that achievement gaps between boys and girls are growing smaller in the field of mathematics.

“U.S. girls have now reached parity with boys, even in high school and even for measures requiring complex problem solving,” the researchers said. They also concluded that there was “abundant evidence for the impact of sociocultural and other environmental factors on the development of mathematical skills and talents and the size, if any, of math gender gaps.”