Committed to STEM? Examining Factors that Predict Occupational Commitment among Asian and White Female Students
Catherine Riegle-Crumb1,2, Menglu Peng3, Tatiane Russo-Tait3
1STEM Education and Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
Sex Roles
|January 29, 2024
Summary
Agentic goals and positive faculty interactions boost women's commitment to STEM careers. However, these factors are less influential for Asian women compared to White women, highlighting the need for inclusive research.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Women face high attrition rates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) occupations in the U.S.
- Limited research exists on the specific views and experiences of female STEM degree-earners influencing their career commitment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how perceptions of occupational affordances and interactions with others in STEM predict occupational commitment among women.
- To investigate if these patterns differ for Asian women and White women using an intersectional approach.
Main Methods:
- Survey data from 229 women completing STEM degrees at two U.S. universities.
- Multivariate regression analyses to assess predictors of occupational STEM commitment.
- Intersectional analysis considering race (Asian vs. White) and gender.
Main Results:
- Agentic goal affordances strongly predict STEM commitment, while communal goal affordances do not.
- Positive faculty interactions significantly predict STEM commitment; classmate interactions do not.
- Racial differences emerged: agentic goals were weaker predictors for Asian women, and faculty interactions predicted commitment only for White women.
Conclusions:
- Theoretical models of motivation and support in STEM do not universally apply across all racial backgrounds.
- Further research is crucial to understand how gender and race simultaneously shape STEM engagement and persistence.
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