Research
Selected Research Projects
Trinidad and Tobago’s Gender Wage Imbalance in Engineering.
Roshnie Doon
ABSTRACT: As the world moves towards creating a smart world, where its operation is heavily entwined with technology used in a wide array of fields of expertise derived from the STEM field, it is important to ensure that within all spheres of operation that gender equality is being observed. The field of engineering is a particularly interesting area of know-how because its academic rigor sets the standard, that help students to develop effective critical thinking and practical skills. Such precision in the training of engineers is likely to mean that they are highly skilled and hold many useful abilities. The scholarly literature which drives research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) however reveals that even with incentives to encourage women into the field of engineering, their level of enrollment and graduation remains small. This study finds that the earnings of engineers with paraprofessional qualifications were negative, and significantly smaller, than their colleagues with an undergraduate degree across the entire wage distribution. Their earnings appear to have a downward trend, as opposed to engineers with an undergraduate degree which is larger, positive and exhibit rising returns. Further, the earnings of female engineers with an undergraduate university degree although significantly higher than their male counterparts, appears to have a declining trend across the wage distribution. Female engineers with a university education tend to benefit from higher returns if employed in a low-income job, as opposed to a high-income job. Notwithstanding this, the gender wage gap amongst engineers with paraprofessional qualifications (19.6%), appears to be much larger than those with an undergraduate university degree (12.3%).
KEYWORDS: Gender Inequality; Higher Education; Engineering; Mincerian Earnings Function, Oaxaca-Blinder Decomposition.
Roshnie Doon
ABSTRACT: As the world moves towards creating a smart world, where its operation is heavily entwined with technology used in a wide array of fields of expertise derived from the STEM field, it is important to ensure that within all spheres of operation that gender equality is being observed. The field of engineering is a particularly interesting area of know-how because its academic rigor sets the standard, that help students to develop effective critical thinking and practical skills. Such precision in the training of engineers is likely to mean that they are highly skilled and hold many useful abilities. The scholarly literature which drives research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) however reveals that even with incentives to encourage women into the field of engineering, their level of enrollment and graduation remains small. This study finds that the earnings of engineers with paraprofessional qualifications were negative, and significantly smaller, than their colleagues with an undergraduate degree across the entire wage distribution. Their earnings appear to have a downward trend, as opposed to engineers with an undergraduate degree which is larger, positive and exhibit rising returns. Further, the earnings of female engineers with an undergraduate university degree although significantly higher than their male counterparts, appears to have a declining trend across the wage distribution. Female engineers with a university education tend to benefit from higher returns if employed in a low-income job, as opposed to a high-income job. Notwithstanding this, the gender wage gap amongst engineers with paraprofessional qualifications (19.6%), appears to be much larger than those with an undergraduate university degree (12.3%).
KEYWORDS: Gender Inequality; Higher Education; Engineering; Mincerian Earnings Function, Oaxaca-Blinder Decomposition.
Breaking Barriers: Understanding the Obstacles faced by African women in STEM in Trinidad & Tobago
Roshnie Doon
ABSTRACT The central aim of this study is to examine the wage returns of African women, trained in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), within Trinidad and Tobago’s Public and Private Sector Enterprises. To do this, the Continuous Sample Survey of Population (CSSP) data for the period 1991-2015 is used to estimate a Mincerian Earnings Function via the quantile regression methodology. This study finds that the composition of African in STEM fields have been on the rise. The estimates derived from the quantile regression shows that the wage returns of African women in STEM fields have largely declined throughout the timeframe. Women employed in low- and middle-income STEM jobs, tend to earn more than those in high income jobs. This is likely to be the case if this segment of women is unable to hold high level positions within these public and private enterprises. It was found that if the proportion of African women entering STEM fields were to increase by 10% then this would cause her average returns to rise by 1.9%, however with the inclusion of additional vectors of covariates, this would lead to a negative shift in her returns. Even though this impact remains positive and significant, the shift appears to favour African women in STEM fields who are. highly skilled, is of the working class, with university level qualifications.
KEYWORDS: Mincerian Earnings Function, Quantile Regression, Recentred Influence Functions (RIF), Ethnicity, STEM.
Roshnie Doon
ABSTRACT The central aim of this study is to examine the wage returns of African women, trained in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), within Trinidad and Tobago’s Public and Private Sector Enterprises. To do this, the Continuous Sample Survey of Population (CSSP) data for the period 1991-2015 is used to estimate a Mincerian Earnings Function via the quantile regression methodology. This study finds that the composition of African in STEM fields have been on the rise. The estimates derived from the quantile regression shows that the wage returns of African women in STEM fields have largely declined throughout the timeframe. Women employed in low- and middle-income STEM jobs, tend to earn more than those in high income jobs. This is likely to be the case if this segment of women is unable to hold high level positions within these public and private enterprises. It was found that if the proportion of African women entering STEM fields were to increase by 10% then this would cause her average returns to rise by 1.9%, however with the inclusion of additional vectors of covariates, this would lead to a negative shift in her returns. Even though this impact remains positive and significant, the shift appears to favour African women in STEM fields who are. highly skilled, is of the working class, with university level qualifications.
KEYWORDS: Mincerian Earnings Function, Quantile Regression, Recentred Influence Functions (RIF), Ethnicity, STEM.
Gender Wage Disparities in Trinidad and Tobago: Why it hurts more for Minority women in STEM?
Roshnie Doon
ABSTRACT: Using a quantitative research approach, this study aims at investigating the wage returns and the gender wage gap of Trinidad and Tobago’s minority groups in STEM fields. To do this, data from the Continuous Sample Survey of Population (CSSP), for the period 1991-2015, is used to estimate a Mincerian earnings function via the quantile regression method, after which the standard Oaxaca-Blinder Decomposition method is employed to decompose the wage differentials along the wage distribution. This analysis revealed that regardless of ethnic class, there are more men trained in STEM fields than that of women. In the STEM field, while the average earnings of female minority workers are higher than that of male minority workers, the earnings of male majority workers are higher than that of female majority workers. The gender wage gap between minority workers in STEM, appears to be much larger and more prominent than that of majority workers. This implies that the issue of gender inequality in STEM is more pronounced amongst minority workers in Trinidad and Tobago.
KEYWORDS: Gender; STEM; Wage Gap; Mincerian Earnings Functions; Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition; Gender Inequality; Quantitative Study.
Roshnie Doon
ABSTRACT: Using a quantitative research approach, this study aims at investigating the wage returns and the gender wage gap of Trinidad and Tobago’s minority groups in STEM fields. To do this, data from the Continuous Sample Survey of Population (CSSP), for the period 1991-2015, is used to estimate a Mincerian earnings function via the quantile regression method, after which the standard Oaxaca-Blinder Decomposition method is employed to decompose the wage differentials along the wage distribution. This analysis revealed that regardless of ethnic class, there are more men trained in STEM fields than that of women. In the STEM field, while the average earnings of female minority workers are higher than that of male minority workers, the earnings of male majority workers are higher than that of female majority workers. The gender wage gap between minority workers in STEM, appears to be much larger and more prominent than that of majority workers. This implies that the issue of gender inequality in STEM is more pronounced amongst minority workers in Trinidad and Tobago.
KEYWORDS: Gender; STEM; Wage Gap; Mincerian Earnings Functions; Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition; Gender Inequality; Quantitative Study.
