Erin Cech Explained

Erin Ann Cech
Workplaces:University of Michigan
Alma Mater:University of California, San Diego
Montana State University
Thesis Title:The self-expressive edge of sex segregation: the role of gender schemas and self-conceptions in college major selection and career launch
Thesis Url:http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/728146941
Thesis Year: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

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. 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.[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

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. 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]

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.[12]

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.[13] She found that people with unstable jobs prioritized passion for work over job security.[14]

In 2022 Cech conducted a survey on 25,000 researchers working in STEM-related fields.[15] [16] [17] Her findings revealed that straight, white, able-bodied men were more likely to be successful in scientific careers than people from other groups.

Selected publications

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Erin Cech . Montana State University . July 27, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190504213519/https://www.montana.edu/president/universitywomen/extraordinary/eow_profiles/cech.html . May 4, 2019.
  2. Web site: Erin Cech . University of Michigan . July 27, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210501015828/https://me.engin.umich.edu/people/faculty/erin-cech/ . May 1, 2021.
  3. Web site: Dr. Erin Cech . Business Equality Magazine . January 4, 2020 . en . July 27, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220709194614/https://businessequalitymagazine.com/40under40/erin-cech/ . July 9, 2022.
  4. Web site: January 15, 2021 . Social exclusion, career limitations hinder LGBTQ STEM professionals . 2022-07-09 . University of Michigan News . en-US.
  5. Book: Cech, Erin Ann . The self-expressive edge of sex segregation: the role of gender schemas and self-conceptions in college major selection and career launch . 2011 . University of California, San Diego . 978-1-124-66465-1 . La Jolla . English . 728146941.
  6. Web site: Erin A. Cech U-M LSA Sociology . 2022-07-08 . lsa.umich.edu . en.
  7. Cech . E. A. . Waidzunas . T. J. . January 15, 2021 . Systemic inequalities for LGBTQ professionals in STEM . Science Advances . en . 7 . 3 . eabe0933 . 10.1126/sciadv.abe0933 . 2375-2548 . 7810386 . 33523910. 2021SciA....7..933C .
  8. Web site: November 10, 2021 . 'Love what you do': The problem with passion and work . 2022-07-09 . ABC Radio National . en-AU.
  9. News: Schachter . Harvey . December 9, 2021 . Beware of the passion principle . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2022-07-09.
  10. Web site: Q&A with Erin Cech, author of The Trouble With Passion . 2022-07-09 . UC Press Blog . en.
  11. News: October 14, 2021 . FT business books: October edition . Financial Times . 2022-07-09.
  12. Powell . Kendall . July 20, 2021 . The parenting penalties faced by scientist mothers . Nature . en . 595 . 7868 . 611–613 . 10.1038/d41586-021-01993-x. 2021Natur.595..611P . 236159253 . free .
  13. 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 . en . 8 . 237802312110686 . 10.1177/23780231211068660 . 246226511 . 2378-0231. free . 10978048 .
  14. Web site: February 1, 2022 . Career priorities emphasize passion over financial security during pandemic . 2022-07-09 . University of Michigan News . en-US.
  15. Web site: Morrison . Nick . Want A Career In STEM? Then You'd Better Be A Straight, White, Able-Bodied Man . 2022-07-09 . Forbes . en.
  16. Web site: Michigan . University of . Privileges confirmed for straight white men working in STEM . 2022-07-09 . phys.org . en.
  17. Web site: Atkinson2022-06-20T13:30:00+01:00 . Victoria . White male scientists have privileges that boost their career beyond merit . 2022-07-09 . Chemistry World . en.

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