Joya Misra, sociology professor at UMass Amherst, discusses research that considers why STEM fields are losing employees who are starting families. The inflexibility and lack of support in STEM fields contributes to many family oriented people leaving their research positions. Mary Blair-Loy and Erin Cech’s study followed participants for 8 years and found that women are more likely than men to leave STEM jobs when they have children. Misra explained how this phenomenon is shaped by institutional policies and culture. Some possible solutions include new policies, grant extensions, and workplace flexibility.
This video is 8 minutes and 14 seconds.
Submitted with permission by Anna G.