The gender gap in engineering and computer science

Computer science and engineering have become two of the most lucrative degrees in the U.S., but only a fraction of women are choosing to go into those fields of study. Instead, women are overwhelmingly represented in psychology, biology, and social science programs, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Why this matters: The gender gap among the specific degrees within the "the sciences and engineering" field is actually much wider than universities might let on. It also illustrates the importance of examining why women are underrepresented in some fields and how to address that.