Abstract
While behavioral and social sciences occupations comprise one of the largest portions of the “STEM” workforce, most studies of diversity in STEM overlook this population, focusing instead on fields such as biomedical or physical sciences. This study evaluates major demographic trends and productivity in the behavioral and social sciences research (BSSR) workforce in the United States during the past decade. Our analysis shows that the demographic trends for different BSSR fields vary. In terms of gender balance, there is no single trend across all BSSR fields; rather, the problems are field-specific, and disciplines such as economics and political science continue to have more men than women. We also show that all BSSR fields suffer from a lack of racial and ethnic diversity. The BSSR workforce is, in fact, less representative of racial and ethnic minorities than are biomedical sciences or engineering. Moreover, in many BSSR subfields, minorities are less likely to receive funding. We point to various funding distribution patterns across different demographic groups of BSSR scientists, and discuss several policy implications.
Highlights
As an occupational label, “behavioral and social sciences” includes a wide range of scientific fields that deal with how humans behave and make decisions in different social settings
This study contributes to the literature of science policy and labor economics by examining recent trends in the behavioral and social sciences workforce
Behavioral and social sciences are considered science fields, when science policy scholars talk about the problems with the STEM workforce and education their data often come from physical or biomedical sciences and their attention is focused on non-behavioral and social sciences research (BSSR) scientists
Summary
“behavioral and social sciences” includes a wide range of scientific fields that deal with how humans behave and make decisions in different social settings. “By improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Government, behavioral science insights can support a range of national priorities, including helping workers to find better jobs; enabling Americans to lead longer, healthier lives; improving access to educational opportunities and support for success in school; and accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy.” [12] One implication of this lack of attention to BSSR is the absence of comprehensive quantitative studies of diversity in this population. In geoscience, engineering, economics, mathematics, computer science, and physics, the dropout rates are higher for women than men both as students in graduate schools and as professionals during their careers [31] This gender gap in the STEM workforce persists because of both employers’ behavior and employees’ personal preferences. The current study is a major step in this direction
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