Gendered Transitions to Adulthood by College Field of Study

• In Event: 067 - Section on Aging and the Life Course Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 01. Transition to Adulthood: Socioeconomic Attainment

Abstract

College graduates’ experiences in the labor market are stratified by field of study, and labor market success increasingly figures as an attractive attribute in the marriage market. We use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 Cohort (N = 1,686) to investigate gendered influences of college field of study on transitions to a series of adult roles, including full-time work, marriage, and parenthood. Among men majoring in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), we find evidence of role complementarity, with early achievement of full-time work accompanied by earlier family formation. By contrast, women majoring in STEM reap fewer rewards with respect to finding full-time work, and delay marriage and childbearing relative to women majoring in business or social sciences. For college-educated women, the choice of major imposes trade-offs among transitions to adult roles beyond those evident among their male peer graduates.

Authors

• Siqi Han, Ohio State University

• Dmitry Tumin, Ohio State University College of Medicine

• Zhenchao Qian, Brown University