Within science, the percentage of degrees awarded to women varied by field. These numbers do not show an upward swing in the number of women receiving degrees in science and engineering. Instead, they show a decline from the percentages recorded in the 80's. High achieving female students do not exhibit the same level of interest in science and engineering as do their male counterparts. The attrition rate of female students who enter into science and engineering is high.
Women complain of sexist remarks made by peers.
Female students say that these remarks alienate them, and lower their self-esteem. Female students tend to see financial aid as more of a major concern than male students. Female students are often less likely to pursue a particular career path, due to an unwillingness to accept financial aid. The National Science Foundation's 1990 report showed that since 1980, women represented one-third of graduate enrollment in social sciences, psychology, and life sciences. The reasons presented to explain this were the same as those used to explain low percentages of women in these fields at the undergraduate level.