THE RESEARCH LAB: A CHILLY PLACE FOR GRADUATE WOMEN

Ph.D.’s in most graduate science programs require that graduate students spend large amounts of time conducting research in science laboratories. As a result, the environment in the research lab is key to the success or failure of graduate students, particularly women. This article is a case study of two graduate women in a chemistry department at a large research university. In-depth interviews, field notes from a support group for graduate women in science, and departmental records were used to examine the relationship between key factors of their work environment and the high attrition rate of graduate women in the department. Analyses of the data indicated that the social climate in the research lab, shaped by the attitudes and behaviors of the women’s male colleagues and/or research advisors, created a “chilly place” for the female graduate students.