2023 KANTER LECTURE
The Specter of Motherhood: Culture and the Production of Gendered Career Aspirations in Science and Engineering
Sarah Thébaud, Ph.D.
Why are young women less likely than young men to persist in academic science and engineering?
In academic science and engineering, motherhood is constructed in opposition to professional legitimacy, and as a subject of fear, repudiation, and public controversy, or the “specter of motherhood.” At this year’s Kanter Lecture, 2022 Kanter Finalist, Dr. Sarah Thébaud will explore her findings that offer novel insight into mechanisms contributing to inequality in academic careers.
2022 Kanter Award nominated article: Thébaud, S., & Taylor, C. J. (2021). The Specter of Motherhood: Culture and the Production of Gendered Career Aspirations in Science and Engineering. Gender & Society, 35(3), 395-421. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912432211006037
- Friday, February 24, 2023
- 1:30 p.m. Eastern
- The Kanter Lecture Series is free and open to the public
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Sarah Thébaud, is an Associate Professor of Sociology, Director of Graduate Studies in the Sociology Department, Faculty Affiliate of the Technology Management Program, and Research Associate at the Broom Center for Demography at UC Santa Barbara. Before arriving at UCSB, she earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Cornell University and was a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University.
She is a sociologist who investigates how micro-level social psychological processes, together with societal-level institutions, reproduce particularly persistent forms of gender inequality in the economy, such as men’s overrepresentation in entrepreneurship, scientific research, and innovation. Often focusing on cross-cultural comparisons, her research is based on varying data sources, including laboratory studies, large-scale surveys, and in-depth interviews. Examples of current projects include 1) an analysis of the effect of the financial crisis on gender inequity in high-tech start-up investment, 2) an investigation of the role of graduate school experiences on gender disparities in STEM disciplines, and 3) a study of the impact of social policies on young men’s and women’s stated work-family preferences. Her work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
SPONSORED BY
The Center for Families
Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business
Brian Lamb School of Communication
College of Agriculture
College of Health and Human Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Department of Human Development and Family Science
Department of Psychological Sciences
Department of Sociology
The Graduate School
Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence
White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Women in Engineering