In 1998 a group of senior women chemistry faculty formed an organization called COACh(Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists)to develop strategies and programs to increase the number and success of women chemists in academia.The motivation for COACh is the documented disparity in hiring,promotion,and advancement of women faculty in academic chemistry departments in the U.S.(1-5).Whereas women today earn approximately 30% of the Ph.D.degrees in chemistry,only 13.6% of the total chemistry faculty at all schools offering advanced degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering are women(6).A 2000 survey showed that at the 50 most research active chemistry departments(7),women account for just 6% of full professors with 21% and 18% of associate and assistant professors,respectively(8).Factors contributing to these low numbers are complex but what is clear is that lack of mentoring,family issues,the accumulation of disadvantage,and other forms of subtle discrimination play key roles(3,8-10).
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