Gendered work and family trajectories: How do STEM graduates fare in the labor market?

Although research on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields has extensively examined gender inequality in participation, its implications for longer-term work trajectories and gender earnings gaps remain unclear. Given the strong interconnection between work and family life, it is crucial to study gender disparities in STEM from a life course perspective. In response, we exploit longitudinal Finnish register data to assess the work-family trajectories of tertiary-educated men and women, who graduated from the most male-dominated STEM fields – physics, engineering, and computer science (PECS, N = 39,497). Work trajectories differentiate between employment in PECS, other STEM, or non-STEM occupations, unemployment, and being outside of the labor force in ages 30–40. Family trajectories differentiate between being in a couple with children, in a couple without children, a single parent, or single in the same ages. We further analyze how distinct work-family trajectories relate to gender earnings gaps, measured by annual earnings in ages 41–43. We report three main findings. First, relatively few women pursue a career in PECS even when they hold a degree in these fields, but women are able to combine a career in PECS with having children. Second, gender earnings gaps are largest in non-STEM careers. Conversely, gender earnings gaps are smallest in PECS careers that are linked with later entry into parenthood, remaining childless, or single. Third, beyond uncovering gender gaps, we show that gender earnings gaps are largely driven by women earning more in PECS than in non-STEM careers, and by men receiving a fatherhood premium. • Few women pursue a career in physics, engineering, or computer science (PECS). • Still, women are able to combine a career in PECS with having children. • Gender earnings gaps are smallest in PECS careers linked to atypical family paths. • These smaller gaps arise as men earn less when they remain childless or single. • By contrast, women earn more in PECS than in other careers.