Gender, Place of College Education, and STEM Fields: Pursuing a U.S. Postgraduate Degree Among Skilled Immigrants

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: Gender, Race, and Ethnicity Issues in Graduate Education

Abstract

For college-educated immigrants, investing in a U.S. degree plays a key role in skill transfer and economic integration. Although immigrant men are more likely than native-born men to investment, immigrant women are less likely so. This pattern contrasts the U.S. gender gap favoring women, which I call “immigrant gender paradox”. Taking advantage of 2015 National Survey of College Graduates, this study unpacks the “immigrant gender paradox” by underscoring the heterogeneity of immigrants by place of education (US vs. abroad) and fields of study (STEM vs. Non-STEM). I find that only foreign-educated immigrant women with non-STEM fields are less likely to invest. This highlights the intersection of gender, skill, and immigration in shaping the decision of pursuing a U.S. postgraduate degree.

Author

• Xiao Yu, Michigan State University