In 2020, I published results of a secondary analysis on the number of exercise science bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees awarded in the United States from 2002-03 to 2016-17.
Some potential reasons: health consciousness; exercise science jobs are usually people/service related; exercise science degrees are often used a "stepping stone" to more advanced degrees like physical therapy, which are further carer and people/service related. The sex difference in degrees earned is even larger in physical therapy than exercise science.
I should also add that physical therapy in the US started as a female-only profession during World War I. The reason the field developed was to rehabilitate injured soldiers.
In the US, physical therapy is a separate doctorate degree. But many students who go onto to physical therapy school get a 4-year bachelor's degree in exercise science first. Some universities might also have 3+3 programs for exercise science students who know at initial enrolment that they want to go on to physical therapy school. These students do an accelerated 3-year bachelor's, which then automatically gets them into the 3-year doctorate of physical therapy program.
Wonder why females are more likely to enroll in exercise science? Maybe because women are the predominant students?
Some potential reasons: health consciousness; exercise science jobs are usually people/service related; exercise science degrees are often used a "stepping stone" to more advanced degrees like physical therapy, which are further carer and people/service related. The sex difference in degrees earned is even larger in physical therapy than exercise science.
Aha! So physical therapy is included. That makes some sense. Isn't physical therapy mostly women? Maybe increasing now??
I should also add that physical therapy in the US started as a female-only profession during World War I. The reason the field developed was to rehabilitate injured soldiers.
https://achh.army.mil/history/corps-medical-spec-chapteriii
Interesting!
In the US, physical therapy is a separate doctorate degree. But many students who go onto to physical therapy school get a 4-year bachelor's degree in exercise science first. Some universities might also have 3+3 programs for exercise science students who know at initial enrolment that they want to go on to physical therapy school. These students do an accelerated 3-year bachelor's, which then automatically gets them into the 3-year doctorate of physical therapy program.
Interesting, thanks Jim.