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Turing's Children: Representation of Sexual Minorities in STEM

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  • Dario Sansone
  • Christopher S. Carpenter

Abstract

We provide the first nationally representative estimates of sexual minority representation in STEM fields by studying 142,641 men and women in same-sex couples from the 2009-2018 American Community Surveys. These data indicate that men in same-sex couples are 12 percentage points less likely to have completed a bachelor's degree in a STEM field compared to men in different-sex couples; there is no gap observed for women in same-sex couples compared to women in different-sex couples. The STEM gap between men in same-sex and different-sex couples is larger than the STEM gap between white and black men but is smaller than the gender STEM gap. We also document a gap in STEM occupations between men in same-sex and different-sex couples, and we replicate this finding using independently drawn data from the 2013-2018 National Health Interview Surveys. These differences persist after controlling for demographic characteristics, location, and fertility. Our findings further the call for interventions designed at increasing representation of sexual minorities in STEM.

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  • Dario Sansone & Christopher S. Carpenter, 2020. "Turing's Children: Representation of Sexual Minorities in STEM," Papers 2005.06664, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2005.06664
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Christopher Carpenter, 2004. "New Evidence on Gay and Lesbian Household Incomes," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 22(1), pages 78-94, January.
    2. Erin A. Cech & William R. Rothwell, 2020. "LGBT Workplace Inequality in the Federal Workforce: Intersectional Processes, Organizational Contexts, and Turnover Considerations," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(1), pages 25-60, January.
    3. Dan A. Black & Seth G. Sanders & Lowell J. Taylor, 2007. "The Economics of Lesbian and Gay Families," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 21(2), pages 53-70, Spring.
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    7. Ian Burn & Michael E. Martell, 2020. "The role of work values and characteristics in the human capital investment of gays and lesbians," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 351-369, July.
    8. Elizabeth Gibney, 2019. "Discrimination drives LGBT+ scientists to think about quitting," Nature, Nature, vol. 571(7763), pages 16-17, July.
    9. Coulter, R.W.S. & Kenst, K.S. & Bowen, D.J. & Scout, 2014. "Research funded by the National Institutes of Health on the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(2), pages 105-112.
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    Cited by:

    1. Reidy, Dennis E. & Baumler, Elizabeth R. & Temple, Jeff R., 2023. "Sexual violence against sexual minority women in STEM: Compound backlash," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 338(C).

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