STEM Beyond the Baccalaureate: Intersectionality of Gender and Ethnicity/Race in Post-Baccalaureate Education and Occupations

• In Event: Collaborative Scholar-Practitioner Efforts to Use NCES Data for Higher Education Research

Abstract

Research Question and Dataset

We analyzed data from the 2008/2018 B&B survey's third cohort, focusing on STEM students. Our inquiries were twofold:
Do gender and race affect the transition from a STEM college degree to a STEM post-baccalaureate degree?
Do gender and race influence the move from a STEM college degree to a STEM occupation?
We had sample sizes of 127,259 and 249,001 for research questions 1 and 2, respectively.

Literature Review

STEM higher education has been criticized for marginalizing racially minoritized groups, especially at the graduate level (McGee, 2020; Bottia et al., 2021; Curry & DeBoer, 2020). Moreover, gender disparities remain pronounced within specific STEM fields (Cheryan et al., 2017; John & Carnoy, 2019). Despite extensive studies into these racial and gender gaps in STEM education, few have delved into their intersectionality. Such an intersectional approach is crucial to understanding more complex inclusivity problems and promoting greater engagement among students from diverse social identities.

Methods

To address the first research question, we performed a descriptive statistical analysis to create a pivot table representing STEM post-baccalaureate degrees among STEM college graduates who also hold post-baccalaureate degrees. We then conducted a logistic regression to determine which group is more likely to possess STEM post-baccalaureate degrees, using the white male group as the reference, among all post-baccalaureate degree holders who also have STEM baccalaureate degrees.

To address the second research question, we performed a descriptive statistical analysis to create a pivot table of participants with STEM or STEM-related occupations among those who hold STEM baccalaureate degrees. We then conducted two-sample Z-tests for proportions to compare each group with the white male group and to determine if there were any significant differences. We did not perform a logistic regression due to the small sample size.

Results and Interpretation

The results indicated that white females were less likely to obtain STEM post-baccalaureate degrees than white males (Odds Ratio = .51). The probability of Asian females obtaining a STEM post-baccalaureate degree was even less than half that of white males (Odds Ratio = .35).

The results also showed that 60% of the white male participants (reference group) with STEM college degrees were in STEM or STEM-related occupations, compared to 51% of white female participants. Within the Hispanic (or Latino) racial group, 56% of male and 52% of female participants were in STEM or STEM-related occupations. Among Black or African American participants, 49% of male and 48% of female participants were in STEM or STEM-related occupations. Additionally, all p-values from the two-sample Z-tests indicated that these differences were statistically significant, even after the Bonferroni correction.

Significance of the Study

The significance of our study lies in its comprehensive analysis of the intersectionality of gender and race within STEM post-baccalaureate education and occupations. Our findings elucidate the existing disparities in these areas and emphasize the need for inclusive strategies to increase representation. Furthermore, our study offers statistical evidence using the national level sample that can guide policy makers and educational institutions in making informed decisions.

Authors

• Damji Stratton, University of Missouri System

• Linli Zhou, University of California - Los Angeles

• Ashley Gerhardson, Arkansas Colleges of Health Education

• Tien-Ling Hu, Indiana University

• Grace Shin, Xavier University

• Johnny C. Woods, Seattle Central College