Disparities in STEM Degree Earning for LGBTQ+ Individuals: New Evidence From the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009

• In Event: Exploring Queer and Trans Student Secondary Experiences Using the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009

Abstract

The High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) is a nationally representative study of 2009 ninth-graders’ important transitions through high school and into young adult outcomes. Information about motivations, expectations, and attitudes is added to rich demographic data in order to inform research about educational pathways. HSLS:09 is the fifth in a series of secondary longitudinal studies conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) since the early 1970s.

The current paper will present findings using newly released NCES data from the HSLS:09’s Postsecondary Education Administrative Records (PEAR) collection (to be released in fall 2023). This dataset has been compiled by administrative matching with the US Department of Education’s National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to understand postsecondary enrollment and degree completion through July 2021, which was eight years after most students in the HSLS:09 cohort left high school. These data provide an updated, more comprehensive picture of postsecondary degree attainment among the 2009 ninth-grader population.

Disparities in STEM degree earning between LGBTQ+ and cisgender heterosexual students will be a focus of the presentation. Differences by specific STEM discipline will be presented, as well as differences by gender within queer subgroups. Major and degree type choice differences for LGBTQ+ individuals compared to non-queer counterparts will be presented to elucidate patterns among other non-STEM disciplines. Other interesting enrollment and completion patterns by sexual orientation and gender identity status will be described. The dataset, complete with up to 8 years of postsecondary enrollment information, includes graduate degree enrollment as well, which will be discussed in its potential role in disparities between LGBTQ+ students and their cisgender heterosexual counterparts.

Directions for further research and suggestions for researchers planning to use SOGI data from the newest HSLS:09 dataset will wrap up the presentation.

These findings, among the first to be released from this new dataset (currently in review, about to be released from NCES), are important to document for researchers and policymakers the differential outcomes experienced in vital educational and labor force pathways for LGBTQ+ individuals. The results lay the groundwork for further research into the breakdowns in these pathways for queer adults early in their careers.

Author

• Elise Christopher, National Center for Education Statistics