High Earnings In STEM? It’s A Myth For PhD Women In Physical/Chemical Sciences.

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Mobility and Stratification in Postsecondary Education and Beyond

Abstract

This study examines STEM wages by baccalaureate major fields and highest degree levels along with demographics. Analyses of the 2009-2023 ACS data on US college graduate workers age 26-35 reveal intersectional variations across STEM subfields. With bio/life sciences a model field of pay equity for diverse workforce, STEM fields show relatively equitable wages. In engineering, non-US citizen college graduates earn as much as their US citizen coworkers and even more in computer/mathematics. However, the high STEM earning has been a myth in physical/chemical sciences where doctorate-holding women earn almost as less as baccalaureate-only men. The findings point to within-STEM variations in wages and suggest field-specific implications for the STEM careers that override STEM/non-STEM comparison and advanced-degree wage premiums.

Author

• Yun Kyung Cho, Northwestern University