Women continue to be repelled by male-dominated roles and communities
- sciart0
- Jul 2
- 1 min read
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Women rejected for freelance jobs in male-dominated fields are less likely to keep job searching than men who are rejected.
Gender norms can undermine women’s confidence and contribute to a “leaky pipeline” in STEM.
Transparent and fair hiring practices can help mitigate the gender gap.
Excerpt: A new study from Wharton management professor Tiantian Yangfinds that when women are rejected for contract jobs in male-dominated fields, specifically IT and computer programming, they are far less likely than men to continue looking for work in those industries. Post-rejection, women are also far more likely than men to seek jobs outside tech, and many stop looking for work altogether.
The loss is contributing to the “leaky pipeline” in STEM, where women and minorities enter those careers only to leave at some point, their ambition crushed by experiences of discrimination, isolation, or lack of opportunity. Although women have risen in STEM over the last few decades, the gender gap persists; women account for only 28% of the global STEM workforce.
“We often see young women initially choose STEM majors, only to switch to other fields after having negative experiences,” Yang said. “This contributes to lower numbers of women in STEM over time. Staying in these fields is challenging for many women, not only because of limited opportunities, but also because of self-perception. Gendered expectations can also make it especially difficult to persist in the job search after facing repeated rejections.”