Erin Cech

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Erin Ann Cech
Cech virtual lecture for the National Institutes of Health in 2021
Alma materUniversity of California, San Diego
Montana State University
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Michigan
ThesisThe self-expressive edge of sex segregation: the role of gender schemas and self-conceptions in college major selection and career launch (2011)

Erin Ann Cech is an American sociologist who is an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan. Her research considers inequalities, gender and sexuality. Her first book, The Trouble with Passion: How Searching for Fulfilment at Work Fosters Inequality, was published in 2021.

Early life and education[edit]

Cech was an undergraduate student at Montana State University, where she majored in electrical engineering and sociology.[1][2][3] She was awarded the Women's Center Student of Achievement award in 2005 and served on the College of Engineering Women in Engineering Advisory Council.[1] Cech has said that as a student who identified as LGBTQ+ in a highly masculine environment she became motivated to explore inequality in science and engineering.[3][4] She moved to the University of California, San Diego for doctoral studies, where she studied the roles of gender schemas in major selection at college.[5] Cech was a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, where she worked in the Clayman Institute for Gender Research.[6]

Research and career[edit]

Cech was appointed to the faculty at Rice University, then moved to the University of Michigan in 2016, where she studied inequality and how inequality is reproduced through various aspects of society.[1][3] She has investigated the recruitment of people from historically marginalized groups (communities of color, LGBTQ+ people,[7] women and gender minorities) and how workplace culture perpetuate this inequity. She has investigated how cultural assumptions can drive inequality, for example, the "passion principle",[8][9] where people of certain genders are more likely to take on seemingly voluntary roles.[10][11][12]

Cech showed that sparse family-leave policies in the United States meant that 43% of mothers who had scientific careers left the workforce after their first child.[13]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cech studied job instability and workers' career decisions. She found that people's lives were so unsettled that they pursued nonfinancial properties instead of work.[14] She found that people with unstable jobs prioritized passion for work over job security.[14][15]

In 2022 Cech conducted a survey on 25,000 researchers working in STEM-related fields.[16][17][18] Her findings revealed that straight, white, able-bodied men were more likely to be successful in scientific careers than people from other groups.[16]

Selected publications[edit]

  • Cech, Erin A. (2021). The trouble with passion : how searching for fulfillment at work fosters inequality. Oakland, California. ISBN 978-0-520-30322-5. OCLC 1243351809.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Cech, Erin; Rubineau, Brian; Silbey, Susan; Seron, Caroll (2011). "Professional Role Confidence and Gendered Persistence in Engineering". American Sociological Review. 76 (5): 641–666. doi:10.1177/0003122411420815. hdl:1721.1/70471. ISSN 0003-1224. S2CID 220261417.
  • Cech, Erin A.; Waidzunas, Tom J. (2011). "Navigating the heteronormativity of engineering: the experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual students". Engineering Studies. 3 (1): 1–24. doi:10.1080/19378629.2010.545065. ISSN 1937-8629. S2CID 108694684.
  • Cech, Erin A. (September 13, 2013). "Culture of Disengagement in Engineering Education?". Science, Technology, & Human Values. 39 (1): 42–72. doi:10.1177/0162243913504305. ISSN 0162-2439. S2CID 144697146.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Erin Cech – PCOSUW | Montana State University". www.montana.edu. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  2. ^ "Erin Cech – Mechanical Engineering". me.engin.umich.edu. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Business-Equality (January 4, 2020). "Dr. Erin Cech". Business Equality Magazine. Retrieved July 9, 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ "Social exclusion, career limitations hinder LGBTQ STEM professionals". University of Michigan News. January 15, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  5. ^ Cech, Erin Ann (2011). The self-expressive edge of sex segregation: the role of gender schemas and self-conceptions in college major selection and career launch. La Jolla: University of California, San Diego. ISBN 978-1-124-66465-1. OCLC 728146941.
  6. ^ "Erin A. Cech | U-M LSA Sociology". lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  7. ^ Cech, E. A.; Waidzunas, T. J. (January 15, 2021). "Systemic inequalities for LGBTQ professionals in STEM". Science Advances. 7 (3): eabe0933. Bibcode:2021SciA....7..933C. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abe0933. ISSN 2375-2548. PMC 7810386. PMID 33523910.
  8. ^ "'Love what you do': The problem with passion and work". ABC Radio National. November 10, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  9. ^ Schachter, Harvey (December 9, 2021). "Beware of the passion principle". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "Q&A with Erin Cech, author of The Trouble With Passion". UC Press Blog. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  11. ^ Erin Cech: Why I Wrote THE TROUBLE WITH PASSION, retrieved July 9, 2022
  12. ^ "FT business books: October edition". Financial Times. October 14, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  13. ^ Powell, Kendall (July 20, 2021). "The parenting penalties faced by scientist mothers". Nature. 595 (7868): 611–613. Bibcode:2021Natur.595..611P. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01993-x. S2CID 236159253.
  14. ^ a b Cech, Erin A.; Hiltner, Sofia (January 2022). "Unsettled Employment, Reshuffled Priorities? Career Prioritization among College-Educated Workers Facing Employment Instability during COVID-19". Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World. 8: 237802312110686. doi:10.1177/23780231211068660. ISSN 2378-0231. PMC 10978048. S2CID 246226511.
  15. ^ "Career priorities emphasize passion over financial security during pandemic". University of Michigan News. February 1, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Morrison, Nick. "Want A Career In STEM? Then You'd Better Be A Straight, White, Able-Bodied Man". Forbes. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  17. ^ Michigan, University of. "Privileges confirmed for straight white men working in STEM". phys.org. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  18. ^ Atkinson2022-06-20T13:30:00+01:00, Victoria. "White male scientists have privileges that boost their career beyond merit". Chemistry World. Retrieved July 9, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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