The sex pay gap in science and engineering: An analysis of cohort membership and glass ceiling explanations

Using data from multiple years collected through three national surveys of degree holders (National Science Foundation SESTAT data), this dissertation examines the effects of cohort membership, glass ceiling processes, and sex segregation on the pay gap between women and men scientists and engineers.; Part One examines the effects of cohort and glass ceiling for the full sample of employed scientists and engineers and for four separate occupations (engineering, physical sciences, social sciences, and life sciences). This analysis seeks to determine if (a) cohort and glass ceiling effects are operative and (b) cohort and glass ceiling effects operate similarly in strongly male-dominated fields and in less male-dominated ones. Findings for the population of scientists and engineers indicate that the sex pay gap is greater for older cohorts than for younger ones, supporting the existence of cohort effects and offering no evidence for the presence of a glass ceiling. Analyses of occupational sub-sample showed that those occupations with a moderately high representation of women (30--50 percent) faced greater glass ceiling barriers than more heavily male-dominated occupations, supporting the thesis (derived from Blalock) that the degree of female intrusion affects the dynamics that lead to female retention.; Part Two examines how sex segregation influences cohort and glass ceiling effects on the sex pay gap over time by using a series of work-activity variables to provide approximations of job-level information for respondents. Findings from regression analyses indicate that work-activity segregation does not account for cohort or glass ceiling effects on earnings in any of the science or engineering occupations examined.; Findings of support for cohort effects offer some cause for optimism about future earnings equity, as younger cohorts replace older ones. However, evidence of the continued existence of a sex pay gap and of a glass ceiling in some scientific occupations still presents cause for concern. Public policy geared toward removing barriers for women in science and engineering occupations is still necessary. These results also make a case for the necessity of disaggregating occupations in the science and engineering fields in order to make claims about the presence or absence of glass ceilings.