Arguments against starting a PhD (quantitative analysis)

Notes on section 5.4 of the paper "Why do women pursue a PhD in Computer Science?"

This analysis is based on the following single-choice survey questions:

• Q36. I am worried that PhD studies would negatively impact my future family plan (getting married, having kids,. . .).

• Q37. I have concerns that during my PhD studies, I would not have enough money to support my lifestyle.

• Q38. I have better job opportunities in the industry than at university.

• Q39. I am hesitant to start a PhD because of many factors and circumstances (e.g. career opportunities, flexibility, Likert working environment,. . .) are unclear to me.

• Q40. I think the industry offers more flexible career opportunities compared to the structured path of PhD studies.

• Q41. I am worried about the impact on my future career if I start but do not complete my PhD studies.

• Q42. I have reservations about making long-term job commitments for the whole PhD duration.

• Q43. I am afraid of being one of only a few females in a PhD group.

Table 9 is extended here with three columns making explicit the rank of the hypothesis, by p-value, the Holm-Bonferroni corrected significance level, and the Bonferroni corrected significance level.

Extended table 9

The detailed data analysis, including the Mann-Whitney U tests can be found in the Excel file SurveyDataAnalysis, on the sheet RQ1-RQ2. MW-U Q12-Q54.

To help in the interpretation of the data, the following chart summarises the results obtained for these questions. The data for this chart can be found in the Excel file SurveyDataAnalysis, on the sheet RQ2. Q36-Q43Diagram. The chart only presents a comparison for those questions where we found a statistically significant difference.

The distribution of responses to questions related to participants’ perceptions of discouraging factors for pursuing a PhD with statistically signif- icant differences between those who chose to do a PhD and those who didn’t

Uncertainty about what it is like to do a PhD was the strongest discouraging factor for doing it, closely followed by a perception of lower job flexibility by participants who decided against starting a PhD. The long-term job commitment implied by starting a PhD may be a deterrent factor for some.