Underneath It All: Gender Role Identification and Women Chemists' Career Choices.

Abstract

This paper describes results from a study on the career choices of women earning doctorates in chemistry in the United States. Presented here are findings related to the participants’ identification with traditional female gender roles and expectations for behavior in the male-dominated field of chemistry. Underlying a career decision-making model are the traditional gender roles women participants struggled with as they evaluated different careers in chemistry. Many of the participants envisioned being the primary caretakers for their future families and wanted careers that would accommodate this lifestyle. Findings of note include the freedom from traditional female gender roles exhibited by the lesbian participant, the views towards future familial responsibilities exhibited by both the participants in a relationship and those who were single, and the conflict between feminine personality traits and observed mannerisms of women faculty members. The challenge for research-focused chemistry departments in the United States lies in making departmental culture more supportive of families, more accommodating of the need for work-life balance, and more accepting of traditionally feminine mannerisms and behaviors.

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