Today's crosspost highlights the upward trend in percentage of women physics and astronomy faculty in the US, according to a survey conducted by the American Institute of Physics. The academic workforce report examined statistics from 2006 to 2024 and was originally published by Physics Today on December 18, 2025.
Women made up 21% of faculty members in US physics departments in 2024, up from 16% a decade earlier (see the figure). The percentage of women faculty members in the nation’s astronomy departments rose from 19% in 2014 to 25% in 2024. Those are among the findings in a recent report on the academic workforce by the statistical research team at the American Institute of Physics (publisher of Physics Today). See the Physics Today article at https://physicstoday.aip.org/news/upward-trend-in-percentage-of-women-physics-and-astronomy-faculty-in-us.
Overall, the State of the Academic Workforce in Physics and Astronomy, 2000-2024 report held good news for female astronomers. Women made up 25% of faculty members in astronomy departments in 2024, up from roughly 19% a decade earlier.
Astronomy leads physics. The proportion of women in astronomy departments remained higher than in physics departments, where women were 21% of faculty in 2024.
From 2022 to 2024, the percentage of women in astronomy departments increased among associate professor ranks and "other" ranks (research and visiting professors).
New hires dipped from 38% in 2022 to 34% in 2024. Even after dipping, women were 34% of new astronomy hires in 2023–24.
Despite a decade of growth, women remain only one-quarter of astronomy faculty, so the gender gap at the senior/tenured level (full professors) is still substantial even as associate and "other" ranks improve.
Read the full State of the Academic Workforce in Physics and Astrkonomy, 2000-2024 report at https://www.aip.org/statistics/the-state-of-the-academic-workforce-in-physics-and-astronomy-2000-2024.
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