A new study reveals that women who exhibited more male-like behavior years ago weren't any more likely to obtain a STEM job than women who didn't, according to InsideHigherEd.com.
The study, "The Missing Women in STEM? Assessing Gender Differentials in the Factors Associated with Transition to First Jobs," was published in Social Science Research.
Researchers analyzed data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which tracks youths' career plans during one year and their career paths in years to come. The researchers looked at 163 women and 353 men with undergraduate degrees in STEM fields.
Within two years of earning their degree, 41 percent of women and 53 percent of men obtained STEM-related job.
Study author Sharon Sassler, PhD, a professor at Ithaca, N.Y.-based Cornell University, noted that the women in the study who planned on delaying marriage and having children weren't any more likely to land STEM jobs than other women with STEM degrees.
"These women have the characteristics of the ideal worker. They expect to have few family distractions and work in STEM both within five years and at midlife. They really have strong aspirations. But they were no more likely to enter STEM jobs than women who anticipated marrying young and having two or more children," said Dr. Sassler. "If women aren't getting into these STEM jobs, then they're not there to mentor other women. They're not there to climb the ladder and help with hiring."