The Impact of Children's School Format on Women Professionals in STEM
With many school closures during the pandemic resulting in long-term changes (more than just a month) to child education format (e.g., online or hybrid), many women took on increasingly greater home and childcare responsibilities. Even prior to the pandemic, the retention of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faced many challenges. The research project described herein tried to capture the experiences of women in STEM with children, as (rather than in retrospect) they navigated various school formats during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). The authors anticipate that the results of this research will highlight the challenges facing women in STEM with children when it comes to the education of their children. Three surveys were administered to women in STEM: one in October of 2020, one in March of 2021, and one in May of 2021. Forty-six, ten and three survey respondents replied to each survey. The results suggest that while overall survey respondents remained concerned about impacts that COVID-19 may have on them and their families, the level of concern seemed to dissipate over the successive surveys. Overall, women in STEM reported very limited options for additional support (e.g., a nanny). The hybrid school format was reported as requiring some of the most significant levels of support followed by online and then in-person. As a whole, women in STEM whose children were attending school in-person reported little to no impacts, often instead remarking on impacts felt during the initial lockdowns. Women in STEM with elementary school-aged children seemed to report the most significant impact. The inability to work uninterrupted was one of the most significant challenges suggested, as there are implications that the work that women in STEM are conducting requires periods of meta focus. Therefore, while the flexibility of allowing women in STEM to work at home can bring some benefits, ultimately, when her children are also at home, the benefits are significantly mitigated. Finally, while the three surveys were expected to be able to capture the oscillation between school formats, at least one survey respondent described many changes between subsequent surveys.
- Record URL:
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Completed
- Funding: $21531
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Contract Numbers:
69A3551747122
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Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Managing Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Project Managers:
Marino, Karen
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Performing Organizations:
Western Transportation Institute
Montana State University, Bozeman
P.O. Box 174250
Bozeman, MT United States 59717-4250 -
Principal Investigators:
Villwock-Witte, Natalie
- Start Date: 20200914
- Expected Completion Date: 20210930
- Actual Completion Date: 20230630
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Children; COVID-19; Females; Schools; Surveys; Telecommuting; Work environment
- Identifier Terms: Science, Techology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
- Subject Areas: Society; Transportation (General);
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01892515
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Small Urban, Rural and Tribal Center on Mobility
- Contract Numbers: 69A3551747122
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Sep 8 2023 7:02PM