Females Are Granted More Degrees In Sociology Than Males

Using data from the National Science Foundation, I created some simple curvilinear graphs to examine the male to female ratios of sociology degrees. During the early 1990s, females started earning more doctorates in sociology than males. Why? Did males stop pursuing PhDs in sociology in favor of other academic disciplines? Or was there an influx of female graduate students from the undergraduate ranks?

Between 1975 and 1985, there was a precipitous drop in the number of Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in sociology. The decline began with the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 and the beginning of the Second Cold War. The decline ended around 1985, the same year that Mikhail Gorbachev rose to power.

Did sociology’s decline have anything to do with the end of the Vietnam War? Were people relieved and less interested in fighting the war machine? Did the sociology’s prior popularity rely on the transgressions of the Vietnam War?

Did sociology’s rebound in 1985 have have anything to do with the professionalization of the female workforce during the 1980s? Did the climb in Master’s degrees correspond with females trying to enter professions that draw on sociological study, like social work?

As of 2006, females earn more college degrees in sociology than males:

• Doctorate (62% female)
• Masters (68% female)
• Bachelors (70% female)

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