Reasons for Becoming a Postdoc: Differences by Race and Foreign-Born Status. Issue 11 (November 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Huang, Ying; Cantwell, Brendan; Taylor, Barrett J.
• Is Part Of: Teachers College record. Volume 118:Issue 11(2016)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 29
• Publication Date: 2016-11
• Subjects: Education -- Periodicals; Enseignement -- Périodiques; Éducation -- Périodiques; Education; Periodicals; 370.5
• DOI: 10.1177/016146811611801106
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0161-4681

Abstract

Background/Context: The postdoctorate has become an important component of research careers in a growing number of science and engineering (S&E) fields. However, a tight academic job market, the growing number of postdocs, and the heightened internationalization of the position in the United States call the traditional definition of the position into question. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: Doctorate recipients who aspire to research careers may be forced to remain postdocs while waiting for their desired permanent position to become available. We hypothesize that foreign-born doctoral recipients, particularly those who are female and/or non-White, are more likely than their U.S.-born, male, or White counterparts to become a postdoc for reasons not related to professional training and development. Research Design: To explore these hypotheses, we have analyzed individual-level data from the 2006 administration of the U.S. National Science Foundation's Survey of Doctorate Recipients using multinomial logistic regression. Findings/Results: We find that the reasons for working as a postdoc differ by race, foreign-born status, and the interaction of these two factors. In particular, foreign-born Asians are much more likely than their White U.S. counterparts to accept a postdoc job because no other options are available.