This project is investigating the institutional diffusion of policies and practices that have aimed at increasing the number of women in the various science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in United States universities. This study is building upon previous studies directed at individual and career level outcomes, but its focus is on institutional level changes and effects relative to gender diversity in graduate education and in the science and technology professoriate. The research is being driven by questions on how innovations and reforms in one part of an institution might impact another and about the channels and spheres of influence that determine whether policy directives and related initiatives can lead to sustainable reform at the graduate level in higher education. Accordingly, the research is examining whether institutional and organizational dynamics lead to isomorphic policy adoption and programs (or not) while controlling for internal characteristics and conditions in various research universities. Thus this project is examining both the horizontal and the vertical institutionalization of policies on gender diversity in STEM fields and their relative outcomes, and is considering the effect of policy antecedents and consequences in mapping the policy process and delineating policy adoption, diffusion, and outcomes across and within universities. The project is incorporating an institutional diffusion framework into an event-history model to capture related issues. It is testing eight hypotheses about the horizontal and the vertical institutionalization of policies on gender diversity in STEM fields (aggregated and disaggregated) and their relative outcomes. Event-history analyses of the timing of policy adoptions and responses facilitate the investigation of temporal variability in the diffusion process and the impact of organizational programs and initiatives promulgated by external forces. The intellectual merit of the proposed study lies in the fresh insights that it is providing for characterizing and understanding institutional transformation. An advantage of the diffusion framework approach is that it is allowing simultaneous empirical analysis of internal and external processes. By focusing on vertical and horizontal diffusion and considering institutional processes and dynamics, the study is providing a more comprehensive approach and framework than can be found in typical individual level studies of STEM women. Thus, it will contribute to a broader understanding of institutional dynamics as a fundamental feature of the policy process and will allow for delineation and specification of the theoretical underpinnings for related diffusion processes. The broader impact of the study lies in its contribution to knowledge of both symbolic and practical institutional and cultural dynamics and their further application to exploratory efforts in a variety of social scientific and education fields. The study is expected to also provide insight into how policies aimed at increasing graduate STEM degrees awarded to women and at faculty recruitment and advancement can be implemented throughout and across universities and how they can be applied more generally under different conditions.
Investigating institutional dynamics and effects on women in the STEM professoriate, the research examined the channels and spheres of influence that determine whether changes can lead to institutional reform, the extent to which reform in one part of an institution might impact another, the context in which changes might be expected to occur, and the extent to which the external institutional environment affects internal structures and dynamics. As expected, findings indicated that a variety of conditions have to be met simultaneously for programs seeking to enlist STEM women to succeed -- e.g., visible and credible career opportunities for women, related mentoring and incentives, and other supportive organizational policies. Moreover, analysis provided support for various hypotheses indicating sharp variation depending on leadership buy-in and on institutional prestige, development of analogous structures among similar institutions, policy diffusion dependent on visibility and source, variable external influence over time, and the formation of support organizations increasing policy form, adoption, and impact. Also, the socio-legal context was shown to be of critical importance in determining and shaping leadership and institutional responses in support of female advancement in STEM in both general and specific terms. A prominent finding was the diffusion of supportive policies and programs. However, while there was some indication of positive outcomes, implementation still was lagging in overall effect. Findings have been used to frame further extended study aimed at tracking and assessing policy development relative to not only horizontal, but also vertical institutionalization of accommodating and transformative organizational behavior. Analyses and dissemination activities are ongoing. In regard to the social sciences and to education, the study provided fresh insights for characterizing and understanding institutional transformation. Moreover, it extended an institutionalist framework to the development of evidence-based policies and programs aimed at advancing the position of women in the STEM fields. The project documented the importance of approaching related problems as processes rather than primarily as events or outcomes, and of simultaneously recognizing both internal and external and top-down and bottom-up effects -- especially given the particular organizational dynamics attending institutions of higher education. The research emphasized the necessity of adopting a more broadly grounded and comprehensive theoretical framework and empirical approach in order effect actual transformation, rather than only symbolic change. By focusing on vertical and horizontal diffusion of policies, practices, and procedures across and within universities, and considering larger institutional processes and dynamics, the study provided a more comprehensive approach and framework than can be found in typical individual level studies of STEM women. Moreover, it offered a broader understanding of institutional dynamics as a fundamental feature of the policy process and provides as basis for the delineation and specification of the theoretical underpinnings explaining related diffusion processes. It also provided insight into how policies aimed at increasing STEM women graduate degrees and enhancing the position of women on STEM faculties can be implemented throughout and across universities and how they can be applied to diversity more generally and under different conditions. The analysis and characterization of policy diffusion can be utilized in developing models for launching similar initiatives, and also as a basis for broader comparative work. The study has broad implications for not just the STEM workforce and education, but also for society and fundamental questions of equity and participation.
