Patterns and Effects of Geographic Mobility of Academic Women and Men

• Main Authors: Rosenfeld, Rachel A, Jones, Jo Ann
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 01-09-1984
• Subjects: Career Ladders; College Faculty; Faculty Promotion; Higher Education; Migration; Nontenured Faculty; Occupational Mobility; Promotion (Occupational); Psychologists; Sex Differences; Sex Discrimination; Social Science Research; Tenured Faculty

The possibility that sex differences in geographic mobility patterns underlie some of the sex differences in college faculty career patterns is addressed in this study of career advancement. Two major hypotheses were tested: (1) that women's mobility patterns are different from men's because women are less likely to move and more likely to be overrepresented in large, urbanized areas, and (2) that even the same type of geographic mobility is less coordinated with career stage and advancement for women than for men. The sample (N=622) was selected from the 1981 Directory of the American Psychological Association. This directory includes information on degrees, birth date, jobs, and professional interests. Consistency of reporting and missing information were checked by using the previous seven years' directories. Geographic mobility and location at two career stages were considered: the first job after the Ph.D. and the job held six years after receiving the Ph.D. Results indicated mixed support for the hypotheses. Women, especially earlier in their careers, were less mobile than men and more likely to be concentrated in urban areas and this did have a negative effect. Data on career stage and mobility did not support the second hypothesis. Recommendations for further research on sex differences in academic career patterns are also given. (IS)