In the School of Science, 92% of the women faculty participated and the following findings can be reported. Since the 1999 report, the number of women faculty in the School of Science has almost doubled, with women faculty in multiple senior administrative positions. The 1999 and 2002 reports showed that women faculty members at MIT felt professionally marginalized — through access to fewer resources and exclusion from departmental decision-making. The reports had remarkable impact both at MIT and nationally, identifying several areas that needed to be addressed: the low number of women faculty, their exclusion from administrative decisions and the difficulty for them in combining work and family responsibilities. In reporting the successes since the 1999 and 2002 reports, the new report also shows where there is continued room for improvement. In science, there remain concerns about faculty search procedures, which the report states can lead to unfair perceptions about how women faculty are hired and promoted. More women faculty members are in administrative positions compared with 10 years ago. There is a strong sense of excitement among the women faculty about the intellectual atmosphere at MIT. Women faculty shared their experiences as MIT faculty members, and leaders in their fields. Any topic of interest to the faculty was discussed, but each group also addressed experiences regarding research, teaching and service, as well as the interface of family and career. Women faculty members are frequently invited to discuss their lives, career choices, and family. There is a strong understanding that this is not true for men. Such invitations make the assumption that women faculty members are more open than men to discussion of personal choices and issues of family and career. According to the news office, since 1999, the number of women faculty increased from 30 to 52 in science and 32 to 60 in engineering and in both schools women now hold several senior administrative positions. Recommendations noted in the report include improving the mentoring system for junior faculty, increasing access to and providing financial aid for child care, consulting with women on department head appointments and implementing systems to deal with gender-based harassment.

Source: http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2011/03/21/daily21-MIT-reports-progress-of-women-at-school.html