A Study of Occupational Exit and Its Outcome for U.S. Ph.D. Recipients in Science and Engineering Professions
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2014
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Haverford College. Department of Economics
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Bi-College users only
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Abstract
Despite the recent increase of women's employment rate, women continue to be underrepresented in science and engineering. This could be largely attributed to the fact that many women are leaving science after receiving a science education and starting a science job. In this thesis research, the 1993 to 2010 Scientists and Engineers Statistics Data System (SESTAT) has been used to analyze the level of occupational exit of Ph.D. graduates in science and engineering, and have started to work in related jobs. The survival analysis is firstly carried out to measure the length of time until Ph.D. graduates to exit science. The occupational exit is then decomposed to five possible reasons, and the competing-hazard analysis is used study what reasons make males and females to leave science. After that, the difference-in-differences analysis is applied to study how salary and job satisfaction change before and after their exit. Our results reveal that women are 1.7 times more likely than their male counterparts to leave science related occupations mainly because of family reasons. Males are more likely to work out of science because of reasons other than family. The results also show that females leave science because of salary; however, they are earning even less after exit. Males are not leaving science because of salary. The job satisfaction of male and female leavers is lower than those who are staying in science, either before or after they exit.
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Shuoying Yang was a Bryn Mawr College student.