Park, Jisu, Sarah Damaske, and Joshua Rosenberger. 2025. "Gendered Queer Occupational Disparities in Male-Dominated Professions: Sexual Minority Workers in Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields." Sexuality Research and Social Policy, Online First.

[DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-025-01210-8]  Preprint

Introduction: This study investigates sectoral placement and wage disparities between heterosexual and sexual minority professionals in male-dominated STEM fields, specifically, computer science, engineering, and mathematics (CSEM). Prior research has documented general labor market inequalities by sexual orientation, but less is known about how these inequalities manifest within specific professional fields shaped by heteronormative and gendered organizational cultures. Methods: Using original survey data collected in 2021 from 3,713 cisgender CSEM professionals in the United States, this study analyzes how sexual orientation and gender intersect to shape two key occupational outcomes: employment sector and self-reported annual wages. Multinomial logistic regression and OLS models are used, controlling for worker, demographic, and family characteristics. Results: Findings reveal pronounced sectoral segregation: sexual minority men are more likely than heterosexual men to work in public sectors and are underrepresented in private industry. Sexual minority women are also concentrated in public sectors, but their distribution closely resembles that of heterosexual women. In terms of wages, sexual minority men do not differ significantly from heterosexual men, while sexual minority women earn significantly less than heterosexual women. Conclusion: Sexual minority workers face distinct forms of occupational inequality in CSEM fields, with gender moderating both sectoral and wage disparities.

Park, Jisu, Sarah Damaske, Jiwon Choi, Susan McHale, Joshua Rosenberger, and Junjun Yin. 2025. "Job Tenure and Gendered Perception of Workplace Challenges in Gendered Organizations: Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields." Socius, 11.

[DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231251376456]  Preprint

This study examines the gendered perceptions of workplace challenges in the male-dominated fields of computer science, engineering, and mathematics (CSEM). Using novel qualitative and quantitative data from an online survey of 3,556 cisgender CSEM professionals, we explore how women and men differently perceive workplace challenges in domains that are central to gendered organizational theory. In stark contrast to prior research that suggests STEM professionals embrace purportedly meritocratic and “gender-neutral” cultural schemas, our findings reveal women in CSEM are significantly more likely than men to perceive workplace challenges across multiple areas and the biggest gender disparities are reported in the recognition of structural barriers. We further investigate how job tenure moderates these gendered perceptions. Longer tenure is linked to lower perceptions of workplace challenges among men, whereas women’s perceptions of structural barriers remain consistent over time, and reports of interpersonal difficulties become more frequent as tenure increases. These findings suggest that tenure, rather than buffering women from inequality, may amplify gendered burdens, reinforcing disparities in how organizational experiences are seen and navigated. By highlighting both the persistence of gendered perceptions and the role of job tenure, this study advances understanding of how inequality is perceived and reproduced within contemporary STEM workplaces.

Park, Jisu. 2025. "State-Level Contexts and Sexual Minority Occupational Segregation in the United States: Assessing Legal Protections and Public Attitudes." Social Science Research, 129: 103191.

[DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2025.103191]  Preprint

Using data from the 2015–2019 American Community Survey, this study examines occupational segregation—specifically intergroup differences in occupation-level gender composition, earnings, and prestige—between heterosexual and sexual minority workers in the United States, focusing on workers in same-sex marriages (SSM) compared to those in different-sex marriages (DSM). The study also investigates the role of state-level contexts, such as anti-discrimination laws and public attitudes toward homosexuality, in moderating occupational segregation. Findings indicate significant patterns of segregation: SSM men are more likely to work in female-dominated, lower-paying, lower-prestige occupations, while SSM women tend to work in male-dominated, higher-paying, lower-prestige occupations compared to their heterosexual counterparts. State-level legal protections and supportive cultural attitudes toward sexual minorities are associated with reduced segregation, particularly in gender composition and prestige for both men and women. This research contributes to understanding the occupational experiences of sexual minorities and underscores the importance of legal and cultural factors in shaping their career outcomes.

Niccolai, Ashley, Sarah Damaske, and Jisu Park. 2022. "We Won't Be Able to Find Jobs Here: How Growing Up in Rural America Shapes Decisions About Work." RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 8(4):87-104.

[DOI: https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2022.8.4.04]  Preprint

Using data from sixty-eight interviews conducted with men and women raised in rural counties in Pennsylvania, we ask how growing up in rural settings shapes people’s aspirations regarding work over three periods. We find that participants’ early aspirations during their late teens were shaped by rurality, gender, and class. During the transition to adulthood and again during an unemployment period, searching for work in rural areas with a shrinking economic base, participants adjusted their early aspirations. These adjustments were shaped by their attachment to rural locations, their gender, and class and exacerbated existing structural inequalities in their local labor markets.