Views, goals, expectations, and experiences of family and work among women and men in science: a longitudinal perspective
type: CreativeWork
description: In the United States women are underrepresented in many science fields, particularly in leadership positions. It has been theorized that work-family interface issues, including those related to having a spouse and children, are a critical challenge for women in science. Having a spouse and children, however, is not an experience unique to women in science, therefore theoretically at least, work-family interface issues are issues for men in science as well. Research on the work-family interface has primarily focused on women so it is less clear how men in science deal with work-family interface. Other limitations of the research on work-family interface are that it has been mostly cross-sectional and mostly focused on the undergraduate or the professional stages, with less information being available about the graduate and early post-doctoral years. This study examined female and male scientists' views, goals, expectations, and experiences of work, marriage and parenthood at two points in their educational and work trajectory, the first being the graduate-program stage, and the next being a few years later. Interviews with 8 scientists (4 women, 4 men) who were in a committed heterosexual relationship at time 1, and married by time 2 were conducted. In addition to the interviews, the participants completed a questionnaire about their educational, career and family background. The time 1 findings in terms of work, marriage and parenting were consistent with those of previous studies. Female scientists expressed gratitude to their partner, while male scientists appeared to expect the support they received from their partner. Female scientists planned to make, and made accommodations for their partner's careers. Male scientists did not, and treated their careers as a priority. Female scientists viewed raising their children as their responsibility. Male scientists discussed investing in their careers as the means to fulfill their responsibility toward their children. Th…
abstract: In the United States women are underrepresented in many science fields, particularly in leadership positions. It has been theorized that work-family interface issues, including those related to having a spouse and children, are a critical challenge for women in science. Having a spouse and children, however, is not an experience unique to women in science, therefore theoretically at least, work-family interface issues are issues for men in science as well. Research on the work-family interface has primarily focused on women so it is less clear how men in science deal with work-family interface. Other limitations of the research on work-family interface are that it has been mostly cross-sectional and mostly focused on the undergraduate or the professional stages, with less information being available about the graduate and early post-doctoral years. This study examined female and male scientists' views, goals, expectations, and experiences of work, marriage and parenthood at two points in their educational and work trajectory, the first being the graduate-program stage, and the next being a few years later. Interviews with 8 scientists (4 women, 4 men) who were in a committed heterosexual relationship at time 1, and married by time 2 were conducted. In addition to the interviews, the participants completed a questionnaire about their educational, career and family background. The time 1 findings in terms of work, marriage and parenting were consistent with those of previous studies. Female scientists expressed gratitude to their partner, while male scientists appeared to expect the support they received from their partner. Female scientists planned to make, and made accommodations for their partner's careers. Male scientists did not, and treated their careers as a priority. Female scientists viewed raising their children as their responsibility. Male scientists discussed investing in their careers as the means to fulfill their responsibility toward their children. Th…
author: Scherbak, Veronica, author
author: Canetto, Silvia Sara, advisor
author: Gibbons, Alyssa, committee member
author: Lucas-Thompson, Rachel, committee member
language: eng
language: English
date published: 2021
date modified: 2026-07-27T19:13:16Z
provider: Colorado State University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Colorado State University. Libraries

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/10217/233673

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.25675/3.02504