Only Woman in my cohort?

[Bayesian1701]

I am a female applicant applying to Statistics programs.   In recent years about 40% of Statistics Ph.D. recipients are female,  but certain subfields (including my main interest) can be even more male-dominated.   A lot of the programs I am applying to our small and due to the nature of small number statistics it is likely that five and six-person cohorts could only have one woman (especially if they aren't purposely aiming for gender diversity).   I don't have anything against men,  but I feel I might feel socially isolated (from other women) in an extremely male-dominated cohort.  I am not saying I don't want male friends,  but I want some female friends as well.  I doubt any department has only one female student but if there are only a couple it might be hard to connect.  Would I be crazy to consider this as a factor in my decision?  I could see this possibly affecting the probability I will complete the program if I feel alone and like the token woman (even if that's not why I was admitted).  I know that I can always meet other women elsewhere,  but I don't think I would go out of my way to meet people.  Anyone have some thoughts on this?

[lemma]

This is absolutely not crazy. You need to choose the place where you will be most productive and enjoy life. As a woman in an applied statistical field, I was encouraged by the fact that female professors in my department were doing cutting edge theoretical and empirical work. 

It can be hard being a minority, and people who haven't been in that position don't grasp all of the subtle bias that happens. My best friends in my undergraduate were all guys, but there was still discrimination and harassment in some groups I worked in. 

[fuzzylogician]

I was the only woman in my cohort. You are not crazy, this is an important consideration. I would say this: figure out some other factors about representation in this prospective department: how many classes will you have to take with your cohort alone? Will you share an office with them, or will you be sharing an office with other random, possible non-male, individuals? Are there women on the faculty to talk to? Being the only woman in your cohort may be an entire non-issue if you get to socialize with women in your classes and in your office, and if there are female faculty to support you, too; or you may feel isolated if some of those conditions aren't met. Find other women in the program to talk to about these things. 

 

[TakeruK]

I also think this is an important factor to consider. This happens to many cohorts on my PhD school's campus, or even in large departments where there were a few other women, there are often lab groups with very few women. 

If you like the school and the program, it might be a good idea to find out whether there are groups on campus that can provide community, mentorship and support. At my PhD school, there is a very successful "women mentoring women" program that is cross-discipline so if there aren't a ton of women in your department, you can still get some mentorship. There are also some discipline specific communities e.g. "Women in Chemistry" that meet to specifically discuss academic, professional and life challenges. They also invite leading women chemists from around the state and country to come give talks and also meet with the women to allow extra networking opportunities etc. Asking about these programs can also give you a sense of how much the department cares about recruiting, training and supporting their women colleagues. 

P.S. I am not a woman, these are some ideas based on discussions with my colleagues while on committees to support women and other minorities on our campus.

[MarineBluePsy]

I agree that this is something to consider in your decision making because the happier and more comfortable you are the more energy you will have for your studies and research.  I have to wonder if the programs you're considering would like to have more female students, but struggle to attract them because no one wants to be the only one?  I've often heard of this situation with minority groups......programs want to diversify but no one wants to be the only *insert whatever racial/ethic group* that is expected to trailblaze, represent, and has to succeed otherwise everyone looks bad.  I agree that talking to female faculty at these programs would help, but also women in the field that may have survived this experience.  My guess is if this is an issue now it will be an issue when you're seeking employment as well, so the sooner you figure out how you're going to deal with it the better.

I also think it would benefit you to be open to seeking out social contacts outside of your department.  Stats isn't the only male dominated field, so there might be other women that can relate to that feeling and you can all support each other.  Also you'll get tired of your work at times and want to turn your brain off.  Being around women (and men too) that want to talk about anything else can do wonders for your wellbeing.