Gender Earnings Gaps in STEM Fields: Exploring the Role of Job Tenure

• In Event: 2451 - Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 8. Income Disparities

Abstract

Previous research has found a considerable earnings gap between males and females across occupational fields, including within STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) jobs. Using data from the Current Population Survey from 2003-2017, we build upon this research by considering how job tenure shapes patterns of gender earnings inequality for college-educated STEM workers. Further, we decompose pay trends across those working in four STEM sub-fields – computers, engineering, sciences, and mathematics – and uncover very different returns to work experience across these different occupational domains. We find the gender gap in earnings did not decreased for those in STEM occupations over the past 14 years, while non-STEM workers experienced a reduction of pay difference between men and women. Moreover, job tenure for STEM workers has little to no effect on the gender pay gap, but for non-STEM workers years of experience working in the same job exacerbates gender income inequality. Our analysis of the four STEM sub-fields also reveals important variations: women working in engineering and math fields experience extraordinary aggregating gender disadvantages across job tenure while those working in computer and science fields may see decreasing disadvantages in the gender gap in pay with additional years of experience. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for understanding and theorizing about within occupational inequality within hyper masculine occupations.

Authors

• Cyrus J. Schleifer, University of Oklahoma

• Ann M. Beutel, University of Oklahoma