Citing his own increasing concern over the lack of female faculty in the sciences, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles has initiated a new task force to work with individual departments and actively recruit women for tenured positions.

But even if the task force is able to swell the numbers of female scholars--as many believe that it will--some faculty members say they believe the obstacles facing female scientists go much deeper than mere numbers.

A Catalyst for Change

The status of women in the sciences has gained national attention in the wake of an MIT report released last spring admitting to biased treatment of female faculty in the institute's School of Science.

After a five-year investigation, the school concluded that the female faculty had for years been victims of widespread, if largely unintentional, discrimination.

A committee initiated by MIT Professor Nancy H. Hopkins '64 found differences in salary, office and laboratory space, awards, resources and project funding between men and women on the faculty.

Since the release of the report, MIT has taken steps to alleviate the problems, and women there say their professional lives have improved immeasurably.

Yet Robert J. Birgeneau, Dean of MIT's School of Science says that administrators at other universities have been skeptical of the conclusions of the MIT study.