Gender, Anticipated Family Formation, and Graduate School Expectations Among Undergraduates (original) (raw)
Related papers
Stay in the Game: Gender, Family Formation and Alternative Trajectories in the Academic Life Course
Social Forces, 2009
Academic careers have traditionally been conceptualized as pipelines, through which young scholars move seamlessly from graduate school to tenure-track positions. This model often fails to capture the experiences of female Ph.D. recipients, who become tenure-track assistant professors at lower rates than do their male counterparts. What do these women do instead? We use panel data from the 1983-1995 Surveys of Doctorate Recipients to explore the early careers of Ph.D. recipients. Our results show that female doctorate recipients are disproportionately likely to be employed as adjunct faculty or exit the paid labor force, especially if they have young children. Contrary to conventional wisdom, adjunct professorships provide a better opportunity for getting a tenure-track job down the road than do nonteaching positions inside or outside of academia. Collectively these findings show that the normative academic life course is both complex and permeable.
This research examined the extent to which parenthood and college education are incorporated into the self-concept of college students. A U.S. sample of undergraduates (90 men, 87 women) attending a large and ethnically diverse university completed explicit and implicit measures of identification with “parenthood” and “college education,” associations between these concepts and gender categories, and gender identification. Explicitly, men and women identified strongly with college education. Implicitly, women identified equally with parenthood and college education, whereas men identified more strongly with college education. In addition, implicit measures revealed that traditional gender roles accounted for a stronger identification with parenthood for participants who displayed a female identity and a stronger identification with college education for participants who displayed a male identity.
Sex Roles, 2008
This research examined the extent to which parenthood and college education are incorporated into the self-concept of college students. A US sample of undergraduates (90 men, 87 women) attending a large and ethnically diverse university completed explicit and implicit measures of identification with "parenthood" and "college education," associations between these concepts and gender categories, and gender identification. Explicitly, men and women identified strongly with college education. Implicitly, women identified equally with parenthood and college education, whereas men identified more strongly with college education. In addition, implicit measures revealed that traditional gender roles accounted for a stronger identification with parenthood for participants who displayed a female identity and a stronger identification with college education for participants who displayed a male identity.
Gendered transitions to adulthood by college field of study in the United States
Demographic Research, 2016
BACKGROUND-Field of study may influence the timing of transitions to the labor market, marriage, and parenthood among college graduates. Research to date has yet to study how field of study is associated with the interweaving of these transitions in the USA. OBJECTIVE-The current study examines gendered influences of college field of study on transitions to a series of adult roles, including full-time work, marriage, and parenthood. METHODS-We use Cox proportional hazards models and multinomial logistic regression to examine gendered associations between field of study and the three transitions among college graduates of the NLSY97 (National Longitudinal Survey of Youth) cohort. RESULTS-Men majoring in STEM achieve early transitions to full-time work, marriage, and parenthood; women majoring in STEM show no significant advantage in finding full-time work and delayed marriage and childbearing; women in business have earlier transitions to full-time work and marriage than women in other fields, demonstrating an advantage similar to that of men in STEM. CONCLUSIONS-The contrast between men and women in STEM shows that transition to adulthood remains gendered; the contrast between women in STEM and women in business illustrates that a prestigious career may not necessarily delay family formation.
Is the Gender Gap in College Enrollment Influenced by Nonmarital Birth Rates and Father Absence?
Family Relations, 2015
There is considerable academic and popular concern about the increasing gender gap in higher education enrollment in the United States. Males now constitute just 43% of the postsecondary enrollment. This research focused on nonmarital birth and father absence as predictors of lower levels of college enrollment for boys versus girls. The authors present two studies. In Study 1, using population data on college attendance and nonmarital birth rates, they found a strong positive association between nonmarital birth rates and the gender gap in college enrollment 18 years later. In Study 2, they examined individual-level data on father absence from birth and college enrollment among young adults. The results indicated that males were at greater risk than females of not attending college if they had experienced father absence from birth. Taken together, the 2 studies suggest that changes in family structure may
Academic careers have traditionally been conceptualized as pipelines, through which young scholars move continuously from graduate school to tenure-track positions. This understanding often fails to capture the experiences of female Ph.D. recipients, who take ladder-rank assistant professorships at lower rates than do their male counterparts. Where do these women go instead? Data from the 1981-1995 Survey of Doctorate Recipients are analyzed to chart the normative life courses of Ph.D. recipients. Female doctorate recipients are disproportionately likely to take adjunct professorships or exit the labor force, especially if they have young children. Contrary to conventional wisdom, academic positions off the tenure-track provide the best opportunity for getting a tenure-track job down the road. Collectively these findings show that the normative academic life course is both complex and permeable, and therefore not well suited to conceptualization as a rigid pipeline.
Sex Roles, 2008
In this study, we hypothesized that (1) Latina and Asian American undergraduate women would report more frequently fulfilling family obligations than would European Americans, and (2) fulfillment of family obligations would predict students’ residential and working plans for their first semester of college. Results of an online survey completed by 296 American first-year students showed that Latinas more frequently fulfilled family obligations than did Asian Americans and European Americans, although fulfilling family obligations did not influence Latinas’ residential or working plans. European American students who more frequently fulfilled family obligations were more likely to plan to live at home, and Asian American students who more frequently fulfilled family obligations planned to work fewer hours during their first semester at college.
Wanting It All: Career, Marriage, and Motherhood During College-Educated Women's 20s
Sex Roles, 2000
College women's expectations for career, marriage, and motherhood were assessed during the senior year, and their outcomes were assessed 7 years later. In 1993, 118 White women and 82 Women of Color were randomly selected from 5 northeastern colleges and interviewed in person. In 2000, 178 (89%) were reached for second interviews by telephone. Results indicate that as seniors the women wanted careers, marriage, and motherhood. Career development was the priority of their 20s. At the 7-year point, marital status was unrelated to advanced degrees attained or to career status, but mothers had significantly fewer advanced degrees and lower career status than nonmothers. Socioeconomic status, race, and intentions concerning career and family were related to career status and motherhood status.