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Turing's children: Representation of sexual minorities in STEM.

ABSTRACT: We provide nationally representative estimates of sexual minority representation in STEM fields by studying 142,641 men and women in same-sex couples from the 2009-2018 American Community Surveys. These data indicate that men in same-sex couples are 12 percentage points less likely to have completed a bachelor's degree in a STEM field compared to men in different-sex couples. On the other hand, there is no gap observed for women in same-sex couples compared to women in different-sex couples. The STEM degree gap between men in same-sex and different-sex couples is larger than the STEM degree gap between all white and black men but is smaller than the gender gap in STEM degrees. We also document a smaller but statistically significant gap in STEM occupations between men in same-sex and different-sex couples, and we replicate this finding by comparing heterosexual and gay men using independently drawn data from the 2013-2018 National Health Interview Surveys. These differences persist after controlling for demographic characteristics, location, and fertility. Finally, we document that gay male representation in STEM fields (measured using either degrees or occupations) is systematically and positively associated with female representation in those same STEM fields.

SUBMITTER: Sansone D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7673532 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Turing's children: Representation of sexual minorities in STEM.

Sansone Dario D Carpenter Christopher S CS

PloS one 20201118 11

We provide nationally representative estimates of sexual minority representation in STEM fields by studying 142,641 men and women in same-sex couples from the 2009-2018 American Community Surveys. These data indicate that men in same-sex couples are 12 percentage points less likely to have completed a bachelor's degree in a STEM field compared to men in different-sex couples. On the other hand, there is no gap observed for women in same-sex couples compared to women in different-sex couples. The ...[more]

PMID: 33206668

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Project description:Using updated data from the General Social Survey/National Death Index (GSS/NDI) study, we examined whether the relationship between structural stigma-measured by aggregating 4 items assessing prejudice towards homosexuality to the community level-and all-cause mortality is present among gay men/lesbian women. Our hypothesis is based on emerging evidence that indicators of structural stigma specific to homosexuality, such as those used in the GSS/NDI, uniquely predict health outcomes among this group. Because the GSS/NDI lacked an identity-based measure of sexual orientation, we tested our hypothesis by employing a strategy that has a relatively high degree of sensitivity and specificity for ascertaining individuals most likely to identify as gay or lesbian: restricting analyses to individuals who reported same-sex sexual partners in the past year. We compared this approach against an alternative strategy, which has weaker specificity for identifying gay men/lesbian women: restricting analyses to individuals who reported any lifetime same-sex sexual behaviors. After controlling for 6 individual-level factors and fixed effects of survey year, structural stigma was associated with mortality among individuals who reported past-year same-sex sexual partners (HR?=?1.95, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.31). Further, there was a dose-response relationship with mortality in this group, such that those residing in communities in the highest quartile of structural stigma had the greatest mortality risk, controlling for these same factors (HR?=?2.12, 95% CI: 1.03, 4.38). In sensitivity analyses, the effect size for structural stigma ranged from 1.54 to 2.30, indicating a consistent, but small-to-moderate, effect. In contrast, no association between structural stigma and mortality was observed among respondents who reported lifetime same-sex sexual partners, nor among those reporting only opposite-sex sexual partners. This analysis therefore delimits potential boundary conditions of the association between structural stigma related to same-sex sexuality and all-cause mortality, highlighting the conditions under which this association is (and is not) observed.

Project description:IntroductionSexual and gender minorities (SGMs) face health disparities related to systemic discrimination and barriers to sexual health. Sexual health promotion encompasses strategies that enable individuals, groups and communities to make informed decisions regarding their sexual well-being. Our objective is to describe the existing sexual health promotion interventions tailored for SGMs within the primary care context.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a scoping review and search for articles in 12 medical and social science academic databases on interventions that are targeted towards SGMs in the primary care context in industrialised countries. Searches were conducted on 7 July 2020 and 31 May 2022. We defined sexual health interventions in the inclusion framework as: (1) promote positive sexual health, or sex and relationship education; (2) reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted infections; (3) reduce unintended pregnancies; or (4) change prejudice, stigma and discrimination around sexual health, or increase awareness surrounding positive sex. Two independent reviewers will select articles meeting inclusion criteria and extract data. Participant and study characteristics will be summarised using frequencies and proportions. Our primary analysis will include a descriptive summary of key interventional themes from content and thematic analysis. Gender-based Analysis Plus will be used to stratify themes based on gender, race, sexuality and other identities. The secondary analysis will include the use of the Sexual and Gender Minority Disparities Research Framework to analyse the interventions from a socioecological perspective.Ethics and disseminationNo ethical approval is required for a scoping review. The protocol was registered on the Open Science Framework Registries (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/X5R47). The intended audiences are primary care providers, public health, researchers and community-based organisations. Results will be communicated through peer-reviewed publication, conferences, rounds and other opportunities to reach primary care providers. Community-based engagement will occur through presentations, guest speakers, community forums and research summary handouts.

Dataset Information

Turing's children: Representation of sexual minorities in STEM.

Publications

Turing's children: Representation of sexual minorities in STEM.

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