The gendered division of labor among STEM faculty and the effects of critical mass.

Abstract

This study explored whether there is a gendered division of labor for faculty in academic science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at research universities and examined the connections between time allocation and satisfaction for STEM faculty within the context of a critical mass of women in the discipline. Using a weighted sample of 13,884 faculty from the 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:04), we found a gendered division of labor that is mitigated by a critical mass of women faculty in the discipline. Results lend empirical support to theories that argue critical-mass attainment positively impacts equity in resource distribution and time allocation.

The Status of Women in STEM in Higher Education: A Review of the Literature 2007–2017

“…These include gendered teaching loads (Carrigan, Quinn, and Riskin 2011), tenure and promotion (Soto 2014 (Blackwell, Snyder, and Mavriplis 2009;Feeney, Bernal, and Bowman 2014;Karpman 2015;Settles et al 2013), research (Cozzens 2008;Deemer, Mahoney, and Ball 2012;Hart 2016;Holleran et al 2011;Howe, Juhas, and Herbers 2014), departmental policies (Holmes, Kasi Jackson, and Stoiko 2016), diverse hiring practices (Easley 2013;King 2013;Leggon 2010;Smith et al 2015;Torres 2012;Williams and Ceci 2015), and burnout (Pedersen and Minnotte 2017;Xu 2008). McClelland and Holland (2015, 218) found male campus leaders who exhibit lower personal responsibility frequently described women faculty as the ones who should be responsible for initiating changes related to gender equity and their "choices" to have a family were obstacles to gender diversity in STEM.…”

Making their own futures? Research change and diversity amongst contemporary British human geographers

“…There is, for example, evidence that women in academia spend less time on research compared with men in comparable positions (Carrigan et al . , 137), although this finding is not specific to geography. In addition, women have been disadvantaged through the criteria used within national research assessment exercises (Crang , 1715) and suffer an imbalance in applications for research grants, their likelihood of success and in research‐based promotion systems (Klocker and Drozdzewski ).…”

Factoring Family Considerations into Female Faculty Choices for International Engagement in Engineering, IT, and Computer Science

“…Female faculty dedicate a greater portion of their time to undergraduate education in comparison to their male counterparts who invest more time in graduate education, research, and other activities. 5 Female faculty are more likely to be assigned to do "the more caring and less valued duties of the faculty job." 5 Moreover, female faculty members' experience higher dissatisfaction due to lower research support, advancement opportunities, and free expression of ideas.…”

“…5 Female faculty are more likely to be assigned to do "the more caring and less valued duties of the faculty job." 5 Moreover, female faculty members' experience higher dissatisfaction due to lower research support, advancement opportunities, and free expression of ideas. 22 Research reveals that while the average number of yearly publications and presentations has increased for males faculty in STEM, the number has decreased for females.…”

“…22 Research reveals that while the average number of yearly publications and presentations has increased for males faculty in STEM, the number has decreased for females. 5 Valian 21 concludes that women are slow in their advancement in academic science and engineering careers, due to lack of collegiality, discriminatory practices, less money, slower promotions and lower tenure rates as compared to men.…”