Gender differentiation in the STEM field of China: A socio-categorical perspective

Abstract

This study uses data from the 2018 and 2021 waves of the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) to construct two variables, “STEM education” and “STEM occupation”, in an attempt to analyze gender differentiation in different stages of STEM education and the STEM career journey in China. The findings show that the gender classification system does not play a dominant role at each stage. Women are more inclined to pursue non-STEM majors in university and college. Moreover, this disparity has remained unaltered despite the increase in college enrolment. Among those with STEM education, women are more likely to drop out of the labor force, but women who remain in the labor force are more likely than men to pursue STEM careers. The impact of marriage and childbearing is mainly reflected in pushing women with STEM education out of the labor market, however, it does not affect the difference between genders in choosing STEM or non-STEM occupations. In terms of income, the gender income gap in STEM occupations is larger than that in non-STEM occupations; as the income level rises, the disparity between women and men in STEM occupations becomes more pronounced. The women who are least likely to pursue STEM occupations reap the most benefits of such careers. The gender classification model in the STEM field is not a model of durable inequality reproduction. It is instead intricately linked to a multidimensional classification system and is influenced by context and subjectivity. The findings of this research suggest that while social stratification is prevalent, there exist fields where the emulation mechanism may not operate effectively. The subjectivity of individuals resists structural disadvantages, and one classification system may either weaken or strengthen another.