The Persistence of New Parents in STEM?

• In Event: 2168 - Gender and Work

Abstract

Amid an acute need for skilled science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professionals in the US, social scientists have pointed to the under-representation and disproportionate attrition of women in STEM as a key threat to the vitality of these fields. This paper investigates the potential role of parenthood in the gendered career trajectories of STEM professionals in the US. Using a longitudinal, nationally-representative sample of full time STEM professionals from the 2003-2010 waves of the SESTAT surveys, we examine the persistence of new parents 4-7 years after the birth or adoption of their first child. We find substantial attrition of new parents, particularly mothers, from full-time STEM work. In total, 44% of new mothers and 25% of new fathers leave full-time STEM employment after the birth or adoption of their first child. Consistent with our hypotheses about the gendering of this lifecourse transition, we find that new mothers are more likely than new fathers to leave full-time STEM employment, to switch to part-time work, and to leave the labor force entirely (net of education, race/ethnicity, age, and STEM discipline). Suggesting the hostility of STEM for caregivers in general, we find that even new parents who remain in the workforce full time are more likely than their childless peers to leave STEM to find full-time work elsewhere. These results have troubling implications for policymakers, organizations, and for scholars interested in processes that reproduce gender inequality in STEM and effects on the retention of experienced professionals in the STEM workforce.

Authors

• Erin A. Cech, University of Michigan

• Mary Blair-Loy, University of California-San Diego