A Multilevel Qualitative Perspective to Gendered Life Course, Socialization, and STEM Trajectories Among Emerging Adults in Spain

Abstract

The present study examines the five principles of the life course perspective—life span development, time and place, agency, timing, and linked lives—and their interplay on the experiences of 26 emerging adults (11 males and 15 females) during their transition from college completion into the STEM labor force in Spain. Findings derived from the in-depth interviews focus on the multilevel challenges these young people face and the set of strategies they develop to overcome them. From a gender perspective, the challenges reveal the structural inequalities (many associated with existing gender stereotypes) that women encounter throughout their educational and professional trajectory. The research also identifies how these women and men display agentic features (at a micro-level) and mobilize different types of networks (at a meso-level) to overcome this adverse structural context, especially, during the economic post-crisis in Spain.

Crowd work in STEM‐related fields: A window of opportunity from a gender perspective?

“…The share of men involved in the gig economy is higher than that of women, regardless of the tasks they perform (Hunt & Samman, 2019; Kuek et al., 2015). The underrepresentation of women in these sectors replicates the multiple discriminations they face during their education and, afterwards, in the traditional labor markets (Petroff et al., 2021; Sáinz et al., 2019). Our findings reinforce such results in the specific case of professional women engaged in STEM‐related tasks, a profile not specifically addressed in previous studies.…”

“…Likewise, life stages are also relevant, as motherhood is a crucial moment for women in these masculinized fields. While some women postpone the decision to have children, others readjust their professional expectations, even switching to less demanding sectors (Petroff et al., 2021). Beyond these social arrangements, marked by national policies and traditions, such vertical segregation also responds to other macro‐level explanations (Thébaud & Charles, 2018).…”

“…Likewise, life stages are also relevant, as motherhood is a crucial moment for women in these masculinized fields. While some women postpone the decision to have children, others readjust their professional expectations, even switching to less demanding sectors (Petroff et al, 2021).…”

“…In an effort to bridge the existing gaps in the literature, this article examines to what extent the crowdsourcing platform Freelancer.com 2 —in Spain and Argentina—simply reproduces the gender gap already identified in traditional labor markets, or whether it also creates a window of opportunity for women engaged in STEM 3 ‐related tasks. While gender underrepresentation and wage inequalities in STEM fields in the traditional labor market are broadly documented (Grogan, 2019; Petroff et al., 2021), no studies address this topic in the platform economy.…”

Gender does not make the difference: interest in STEM by gender is fully mediated by technical socialization and degree program

“…Structural inequities are challenging and women are familiar with these challenges throughout their educational and career pathways, as identified by Petroff et al ( 2021 ) via in-depth interviews. While other researchers have taken a qualitative approach to focus on the multi-faceted challenges, this would have been interesting to pursuit, but was not the aim of the present quantitative study.…”