Sources of gender and race/ethnic stratification in non-academic science and engineering

Within science and engineering, women, Asians and African-Americans tend to hold lower status and lower paying positions and experience fewer opportunities for advancement. This research explores sources of this dimension of intra-occupational stratification by examining gender and race/ethnic differences in career patterns among non-academic scientists and engineers. Two sources of data, the Survey of Natural and Social Scientists and Engineers and the New Entrants Survey, are used to test hypotheses that weigh the impact of human capital, familial, and structural location factors on occupational entry, movement into management, and salary level. Preliminary findings indicate that human capital investment fails to explain group differences in career transitions among white, Asian-American, and African-American men and women. The ability of familial and structural variables to explain race/ethnic and gender differences in career patterns suggests that career opportunities vary by group. Internal labor markets appear to exert a particularly strong influence on career attainment.