Although women made tremendous gains in entering traditionally maledominated professions during the 20th century, gender differences have persisted through the turn of the millennium in adult occupational pursuits (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2002). By the end of the 1990s, women were earning more bachelor's degrees than men but were still underrepresented in many traditionally male-dominated occupational fields, such as engineering (18%), physical science, (37%), mathematical and computer science (34%), chemistry (26%), and law (27%; Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 1998; NCES, 1997 NCES, , 2000. In the mid-1990s, women represented 46% of the nation's labor force but only 9% of engineers, 29% of computer and math scientists, and 22% of physical scientists (NCES, 2000). Many women were still concentrated in traditionally "feminine" occupations with low status and low pay (BLS, 1998). For example, women were less represented in higher

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent do CTSOs affect student psychosocial and achievement outcomes (above and beyond stand-alone CTE programs) when controlling for gender and race. Using a cross-sectional descriptive research design, a total of 5,677 students from 10 states were surveyed regarding their high school experiences. Students were recruited from CTSO, CTE, and non-CTE (general education) classrooms. Within the boundaries of the research design, results reveal that the CTSO and CTE experiences do provide benefits above those offered through general education alone. Furthermore, this study found that girls tend to receive more of the benefits of the CTSO and CTE experience compared to boys. Finally, the study offers reason to believe that students of color do benefit more from a CTE experience compared to their White counterparts, albeit this benefit is small.

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