CHANGES IN WOMENS MAJORS FROM ENTRANCE TO GRADUATION AT WOMENS AND COEDUCATIONAL COLLEGES

Using data on the anticipated and final majors of 1700 students at eig ht women's colleges and 818 female students at seven coed colleges, th e author tests whether women at single-sex institutions were more like ly than their counterparts at coed schools to remain in traditionally male-dominated subjects and whether they were more likely to shift fro m traditionally female-dominated subjects. Depending on how broadly '' female-dominated majors'' is defined, 40% to 75% of women at women's c olleges who began in such majors shifted to neutral or male-dominated fields during their college careers, compared to only about 25% of wom en at coed schools. Approximately 22% of women at both types of school left male-dominated majors.