Having it All? Work-Family Dynamics of Diverse Women in Tech

Description of research project:

How do diverse women in tech decide whether to have children or get married? How do gender expectations, workplace inequalities, and cultural norms impact these decisions?This project investigates these questions in Silicon Valley, where foreign-born workers are more likely to be married and have children than their domestic counterparts. Understanding the causes of these work-family trends addresses an important gap in demographic research and expands understandings of inequality and inclusion in the tech industry.

Description of work:

This project seeks highly engaged undergraduate students to provide research assistance and offers meaningful training and mentorship in areas of student interest. Research assistants will gain hands-on experience with the research process, with responsibilities including: recruiting and conducting interviews with study participants, supporting literature reviews, analytical memo-writing, cleaning transcripts, and qualitative data coding. Opportunities exist to assist with quantitative data analysis, dependent on student interest and experience.

Desired Qualifications:

Students of all backgrounds are welcome to apply; students interested in gender inequality, migration, work-family conflict, and STEM disciplines may be particularly interested. Preference for sophomores and juniors.

Application Instructions: Application is CLOSED for WN24.

Supervising Faculty Member: Bill Axinn

Graduate Student: Kelsi Caywood

Contact information: Kelsi Caywood, kcaywood@umich.edu

Average hours per week: 6-12

Range of credit hours student can earn: 2-4

Number of positions available: 2-4