	Background

With certain exceptions, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972  requires all entities receiving any form of federal financial assistance to  prohibit sex discrimination in their education programs or activities,  which are defined broadly under Title IX to include all the operations of  the entity. The Four Federal Science Granting Agencies Made Efforts to Ensure Compliance, but Three Have Not Conducted Required Monitoring

The four federal science agencies have made efforts to ensure that federal  grant recipients comply with Title IX in the sciences by performing several  compliance activities, such as investigating complaints and providing  technical assistance, but most have not monitored grantees as required by  the law. However, only Education has  monitored its grantees by conducting periodic compliance reviews—an  agency-initiated assessment of grantees to determine if they are complying  with the law. However, officials at Energy,  NASA, and NSF told us that they have received very few Title IX  complaints each year. Women’s Participation in the Sciences Has Increased Substantially since the Early 1960s, but Their Representation in Mathematics and Engineering Continues to Be Low

Women’s participation in the sciences has increased substantially in the  last three decades, especially in the life sciences, such as biology. The  proportion of women science students has grown, but to a lesser extent at  the graduate level than the undergraduate level. Meanwhile, the proportion  of faculty in the sciences who are women has also increased since the  early 1970s. A variety of  studies indicate that experience, work patterns, and education levels can  largely explain differences in salaries and rank. Studies also suggest that  discrimination may still affect women’s choices and professional progress. Some Agencies and Grantees Have Activities That May Foster Greater Participation in the Sciences by Women

We found several examples of grant-making agencies that have instituted  policies and practices designed to foster greater participation by women in  the sciences. While some of the policies and practices are aimed at  encouraging more women to pursue and to persist in education in the  sciences, others provide time off and fewer teaching duties so junior  faculty can balance work and family life while beginning a university  career. Finally, a few policies and practices seek to expand the recruiting  pool for jobs in the sciences and make them more attractive to women. This report addresses: 1) how do the Department of Education  (Education), the Department of Energy (Energy), the National Aeronautics  and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Science Foundation  (NSF) ensure that federal grant recipient institutions comply with Title IX  in mathematics, engineering, and science; 2) what do data show about  women’s participation in these fields; and 3) what promising practices  exist to promote their participation? 20 U.S.C.
Why GAO Did This Study

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 extended protections against sex discrimination to students and employees at institutions receiving federal assistance for educational programs or activities. In the 32 years since Title IX was enacted, women have made significant gains in many fields, but much attention has focused on women's participation in the sciences. Because of the concern about women's access to opportunities in the sciences, which receive billions of dollars in federal assistance, this report addresses: (1) how do the Department of Education (Education), the Department of Energy (Energy), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) ensure that federal grant recipient institutions comply with Title IX in math, engineering, and science; (2) what do data show about women's participation in these fields; and (3) what promising practices exist to promote their participation?

What GAO Found

Four federal science agencies have made efforts to ensure that grantees comply with Title IX in the sciences by performing several compliance activities, such as investigating complaints and providing technical assistance, but most have not conducted all required monitoring activities. Agency officials at Energy, NASA, and NSF told us that they refer complaints to Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where they are investigated. However, only Education has monitored its grantees by conducting compliance reviews--periodic, agency-initiated assessments of grantees to determine if they are complying with Title IX. Women's participation in the sciences has increased substantially in the last three decades, especially in the life sciences, such as biology. The proportion of women science students has grown, but to a lesser extent at the graduate level than the undergraduate level. Meanwhile, the proportion of faculty in the sciences who are women has also increased, but they still lag behind men faculty in terms of salary and rank. However, studies indicate that experience, work patterns, and education levels can largely explain these differences. Studies also suggest that discrimination may still affect women's choices and professional progress. We found several examples of agencies and grantees that have instituted practices designed to foster greater women's participation in the sciences. While some of the practices are aimed at encouraging more women to pursue the sciences, others provide time off and fewer teaching duties so faculty can balance work and family life. Finally, a few practices seek to expand the recruiting pool for jobs in the sciences and make them more attractive to a greater portion of the U.S. population, including women.