Early career experiences of a sample of 233 University of Washington doctorates were studied. Doctorates were initially grouped into seven degree areas (physical science, biological science, social science, humanities, education, engineering, and other). As hypothesized, significant differences were found between the genders in their distribution across the degree fields. However, after statistically controlling for the interaction of gender and degree field, the latter rather than the former was the variable that most often differentiated this group of doctorates. That is, the degree fields differed significantly on research orientation, satisfaction with their doctoral program, likelihood of re-entering the same program today, proportion with a master's degree, amount of professional work experience prior to obtaining their doctorate, and professional identification as assessed by number of memberships in professional organizations. Only for one survey item did male and female doctorates differ significantly regardless of degree field: females were more likely to have experienced difficulty in obtaining a doctoral-level position in their area after receiving their doctorate. The genders within a degree area, however, did not differ significantly in type of position eventually held. References are included. (SW)