Why Academic STEM Mothers Feel They Have to Work Harder than Others on the Job

Julie A. Kmec

Back

Why Academic STEM Mothers Feel They Have to Work Harder than Others on the Job

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Why Academic STEM Mothers Feel They Have to Work Harder than Others on the Job

Julie A. Kmec

International journal of gender, science and technology, Vol.5(2)

2013

Handle:

https://hdl.handle.net/2376/6017

Files and links (1)

pdf

Kmec6273.17 kBDownload View

Rights Statements InC/1.0 , Open Access

Abstract

masculine work culture

motherhood

STEM

work perceptions

academic STEM women

Women in science.

Women in technology.

Women in engineering.

Women in mathematics.

Sex role in the work environment.

Women in higher education.

College teachers.

Success.

Career development.

Mothers—Employment.

Scholars have documented that the masculine work cultures characteristic of academic science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines create an unwelcome climate for women. One way academic STEM cultures can negatively impact women, especially mothers, is by shaping how hard they think they have to work on the job—a perception that can affect job satisfaction, stress levels, and attrition. This study assesses faculty member’s reports of how hard they have to work on the job and the extent to which their sex, parental status, and academic discipline shape these reports. Survey data from roughly 300 tenure-line faculty members in a research university find that mothers in STEM disciplines perceive that they have to work harder than STEM and non-STEM fathers and mothers not in STEM disciplines. These differences remain net of controls for institutional tenure, rank, perceived job demands, work-family overlap, and time spent on job and family responsibilities. I interpret findings as evidence that STEM mothers encounter challenges to their competence—as mothers and as female experts in STEM disciplines with masculine cultures—that make them feel they must work harder than others. I discuss implications of findings for the experiences of women in academic STEM disciplines and policy reform intended to shift these perceptions.

Metrics

102 File views/ downloads

193 Record Views

Details

Title: Why Academic STEM Mothers Feel They Have to Work Harder than Others on the Job
Creators: Julie A. Kmec (Author)
Publication Details: International journal of gender, science and technology, Vol.5(2)
Academic Unit: Sociology, Department of
Publisher: Open University
Identifiers: 99900501588601842
Copyright: In copyright ; openAccess ; http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ ; http://purl.org/eprint/accessRights/OpenAccess
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article