STEMPATHS

The underrepresentation of women in the STEM sector does not only stem from gender differences in field-of-study choices; women who graduate in STEM fields are also less likely than their male counterparts to enter and remain in the STEM sector. The STEMPATHS project aims at advancing our understanding of the gendered selection into and out of STEM by adopting a life-course perspective, and study how the family of origin shapes gendered field-of-study choices and how family formation later in life influences persistence in the STEM after graduation. 

The project is therefore divided into two parts. The first part investigates the gender gap in STEM education, trying to determine the key events on the educational trajectory that widen the gap, and how the family of origin contributes to generate or mitigate this gap. The second part studies the gender gap in STEM persistence after graduation, examining the distinct family-formation trajectories of women graduated in different fields of study, and whether the occurrence and timing of family-formation events prompt women to leave the labour market, remain employed but exit the STEM sector, or remain within the STEM workforce but switch from full-time to part-time employment.

The STEMPATHS project is funded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) under the Data:Research:Austria funding program, financed by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF).