# Science and Engineering Ph.D. Students’ Career Outcomes, by Gender

## TL;DR

This study finds gender differences in career outcomes of science and engineering Ph.D. graduates, with women more likely to work in public administration or academia.

## Contribution

The study identifies persistent gender disparities in career paths of Ph.D. graduates, even after controlling for research output and postdoc training.

## Key findings

- Women Ph.D.s are more likely to work in public administration or academia compared to industry.
- Gender gaps decrease for Ph.D.s with high research output or applied research experience.
- Women with postdoc training are less likely to be employed at top-ranked universities.

## Abstract

We examine differences in the careers of men and women Ph.D.s from two major European universities. Having performed regression analysis, we find that women are more likely than men to be employed in public administration when the alternatives are either academia or industry. Between the latter two alternatives, women are more likely to be employed in academia. These gender differences persist after accounting for Ph.D.s’ and their supervisors’ characteristics. Gender gaps are smaller for Ph.D.s with large research outputs and for those who conducted applied research. Restricting the analysis to Ph.D.s who pursued postdoc training, women are less likely than men to be employed in highly ranked universities, even after controlling for their research outputs. Finally, we find gender differences in Ph.D.s’ appointment to professorship, which are explained by the Ph.D.s’ publication output and the quality of their postdoc training.