New data highlights gender disparities in STEM doctoral degrees

The National Science Foundation's latest annual data shows a gender gap in doctoral degrees awarded, particularly across STEM fields. The overall number of doctorates increased in 2025 and women accounted for approximately 48.8% of doctoral degree recipients. But large gender gaps were reported in fields such as astrophysics (33% women), civil engineering (30% women) and artificial intelligence (22.6% women). In contrast, women earned at least 80% of the doctorates in nursing education, higher education research and public health education.