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Gendered transitions to adulthood by college field of study in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Siqi Han

    (Columbia University)

  • Dmitry Tumin

    (Ohio State University)

  • Zhenchao Qian

    (Brown University)

Abstract

Background: Field of study may influence the timing of transitions to the labor market, marriage, and parenthood among college graduates. Research to date has yet to study how field of study is associated with the interweaving of these transitions in the USA. Objective: The current study examines gendered influences of college field of study on transitions to a series of adult roles, including full-time work, marriage, and parenthood. Methods: We use Cox proportional hazards models and multinomial logistic regression to examine gendered associations between field of study and the three transitions among college graduates of the NLSY97 (National Longitudinal Survey of Youth) cohort. Results: Men majoring in STEM achieve early transitions to full-time work, marriage, and parenthood; women majoring in STEM show no significant advantage in finding full-time work and delayed marriage and childbearing; women in business have earlier transitions to full-time work and marriage than women in other fields, demonstrating an advantage similar to that of men in STEM. Conclusions: The contrast between men and women in STEM shows that transition to adulthood remains gendered; the contrast between women in STEM and women in business illustrates that a prestigious career may not necessarily delay family formation. Contribution: The paper shows how stratification by field of study creates gendered demographic outcomes for college graduates. It also demonstrates that women’s decisions regarding marriage and parenthood do not uniformly respond to the economic prospect of their work.

Suggested Citation

  • Siqi Han & Dmitry Tumin & Zhenchao Qian, 2016. "Gendered transitions to adulthood by college field of study in the United States," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 35(31), pages 929-960.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:35:y:2016:i:31
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2016.35.31
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Serge Atherwood & Gabriela Sánchez-Soto, 2023. "Does Social Class Matter Equally for the Timely Transition Into and Out of College? Evidence from the NLSY97," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 64(1), pages 95-128, February.
    2. Dana Hamplová & Alena Bičáková, 2022. "Choosing a Major and a Partner: Field of Study and Union Formation Among College-Educated Women in Europe," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(5), pages 861-883, December.
    3. Vera Trappmann & Charles Umney & Christopher J McLachlan & Alexandra Seehaus & Laura Cartwright, 2024. "How Do Young Workers Perceive Job Insecurity? Legitimising Frames for Precarious Work in England and Germany," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(4), pages 998-1020, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    transition to adulthood; gender; field of study; STEM fields; professional fields;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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