Erin A. Cech 
 
Welcome!

 



Appointment:

Postdoctoral Fellow, Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research; Stanford University, 2011-2012

Education:

Ph.D. in Sociology                                 University of California, San Diego     2011
M.A. in Sociology                                  University of California, San Diego     2008
B.S. in Electrical Engineering           Montana State University-Bozeman     2005
B.S. in Sociology                                   Montana State University-Bozeman     2005
 
 
Curriculum Vitae:  Erin Cech Current CV
 
 
Areas of Specialization:

Sociology of Gender, Social Inequalities, Sociology of Culture, Science and Technology Studies, Engineering Studies, Social Psychology, Occupations and Professions, and Mixed Methods


Publications:
 
Cech, Erin, Brian Rubineau, Susan Silbey, and Carroll Seron. (2011). "Professional Role Confidence 
and Gendered Persistence in Engineering." American Sociological Review. 76(5): 641-66. [link]
 --- Huffington Post, Chronicle of Higher Education, and California Watch articles covering this research
 
Cech, Erin A. and Tom J. Waidzunas. (2011). "Navigating the Heteronormativity of Engineering:
The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students." Engineering Studies. 3(1): 1-24. [pdf]
 --- Science article covering this research
 
Cech, Erin A., Anneke Metz, Tracy Babcock, and Jessi Smith. (2011). "'Caring for Our Own:' The
Role of Institutionalized Support Structures in Native American Nursing Student Success." Journal of Nursing Education, 50(9): 524-531. [link]

Metz, Anneke, Erin Cech, Tracy Babcock, and Jessi Smith.  (2011). "The Effects of Formal and
Informal Support Structures on the Motivation of Native American Students in Nursing." Journal of Nursing Education. 50(7): 388-394. [link]

Cech, Erin A. and Mary Blair-Loy. (2010). "Perceiving Glass Ceilings? Meritocratic versus
Structural Explanations of Gender Inequality among Women in Science and Technology."
Social Problems, 57(3): 371-397. [pdf]
 
Charles, Maria and Erin Cech. (2010). “Beliefs about Maternal Employment.” Dividing the Domestic: Men,
Women, and Household Work in Cross-National Perspective, edited by Judith Treas and Sonja Drobnič. Stanford University Press. [pdf]
 
Cech, Erin A. (2007). “Dilbert in Stilettos: The Character of Deterrents Facing Women in Engineering.”
Gender and Engineering: Strategies and Possibilities, edited by Ingelore Welpe, June Larkin, and Barbara Reschka. Frankfurt: Peter Lang Press. [pdf]

 

Published (Peer Reviewed) Conference Proceedings:

Seron, Carroll, Erin Cech, Susan Silbey and Brian Rubineau. "'I'm not a Feminist, but...' Making Meanings of Being a                        Woman in Engineering." Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Meeting, 2011.

Cech, Erin A. "Trained to Disengage? A Longitudinal Study of Social Consciousness and Public Engagement among
Engineering Students." Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Meeting, 2010. [pdf]
 
Cech, Erin and Tom Waidzunas. "Engineers Who Happen to be Gay": Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students' Experiences in
Engineering" Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Meeting, 2009.

Cech, Erin, Kara Boettcher and Heidi Sherick.  "Incredible Shrinking Job Description: Trends and Consequences of an   
Increasingly Technical Job Description."Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Meeting, 2007 [pdf]

Cech, Erin A. "Preaching to the Choir: The Responsibility to Share Women in Engineering Research with Women
Engineering Students."  Proceedings of the Frontiers in Education Annual Meeting, 2006. [pdf]

Cech, Erin A. "Understanding the Gender Schemas of Female Engineering Students." Proceedings of the Women in
Engineering Programs and Advocates Network Annual Meeting, 2005. [pdf]


Current Research Projects:

  • Cultural ideologies and ascriptive wage inequalities
  • Divergent Trajectories: cumulative disadvantage among women, minority and LGBT STEM faculty (with Mary Blair-Loy and Jeanne Ferrante)
  • Experiences of LGBT engineers and scientists (with Tom Waidzunas) 
  • Native Americans’ Experiences in Science and Engineering (part of an NSF funded research group)
  • "Professional Competence Schemas" and Intra-Profession Inequality
  • The Professionalization of Engineering Students into a "Culture of Disengagement"
  • Work/Life balance for Women Executives in Science, Engineering, and Allied fields (with Mary Blair-Loy)
  • Women executives' understandings of gender inequality in the labor market (with Mary Blair-Loy)
  • Institutional Effects in Engineering Education (part of an NSF-funded research group called FuturePaths)
  • Gendered behavioral and intentional persistence in engineering (with FuturePaths group)
  • The Value of Diversity for Engineering Firms (part of an NSF-SGER-funded research group)

 

Gender News Articles written for Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford:


Media

 Huffington Post article (Oct. 26, 2011)
"The Real Cost of Low Confidence"

 Chronicle of Higher Education article (Oct. 25, 2011)
"Lack of Confidence as Professionals Spurs Women to Leave Engineering, Study Finds"

 California Watch article (Oct. 25, 2011)
"Female engineering majors struggle with confidence issues"

 Prism article (Oct. 1, 2011)
"Secrets Are Out: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender engineers are no longer willing to hide true selves"

 Science Careers article (Oct. 1, 2010)
"Closeted Discoverers: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and  Transgender Scientists"

 New Scientist article (July 18, 2009)
New Scientist: Bringing it all together

2006 International Network for Engineering Studies (INES) Plenary Introduction (video)
 Erin Cech INES Plenary Introduction Sept 2006

 

Links:

 

       

 

Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Serra House, Stanford University
589 Capistrano Way, Stanford, CA 94305