However, metaphors can also mislead-particularly when their core assumptions are belied by the empirical reality they are meant to represent. The use of metaphor is common in the social sciences, and metaphors shape thinking about complex social phenomena (Brown 1976). Thus, when social scientists study why White and Asian males dominate the STEM workforce, they seek to uncover the discrimination and/or structural barriers that lead female, African American, and Latino students and workers to disproportionately leak from the pipeline (e.g., Cech et al. Others use a related metaphor, the “pathway,” which encourages theorizing about multiple pathways, on ramps, and off ramps (Kannankutty 2007), but the pathway shares with the pipeline fundamental similarities, such as the ideas of forward movement as normative and leaving as a problem. 2014), researchers and policymakers see leakage as a problem. Due to a national narrative that links the training of STEM workers to economic priorities (Mars et al. But if at some point they stop studying STEM subjects, choose a non-STEM major, or take a non-STEM job, they are said to have “leaked” (Cannady et al. As long as they major in STEM subjects, graduate, and work in STEM careers, they “persist” and the pipeline is considered successful. The metaphor appears simple: People move through their education, which is akin to a singular pipe.
Social scientists have devoted considerable attention to understanding the “STEM pipeline” in the US, referring to education and work careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Collectively, these results recommend expanded conceptions of STEM education and careers and contribute to studies of science and engineering workforce transitions and diversity. Third, we show that STEM-educated workers are well-prepared for but dissatisfied with non-STEM jobs, complicating our understanding of leaving. Second, we show that using on-the-job expertise requirements (rather than occupational titles) paints a very different portrait of the STEM workforce-and persistence in it (where substantial attrition remains evident, especially among women and African Americans). First, we show that a majority of STEM workers report skills training throughout their careers, suggesting no clear demarcation between education and work.
Using the National Survey of College Graduates, we empirically measure each of these dimensions. that “leakage,” or leaving STEM, constitutes failure). that some occupational fields are “in” the pipeline while others are not), and perceived purpose (i.e. that it “starts” and “stops” at specific stages in one’s education or career), contents (i.e. However, the “STEM pipeline” carries implicit assumptions regarding length (i.e.
Studies of education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) commonly use a pipeline metaphor to conceptualize forward movement and persistence.
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