Showing papers by "Yu Xie published in 2003"

Women in Science: Career Processes and Outcomes

Abstract: Why do so few women choose a career in science - even as they move into medicine and law in ever-greater numbers? This comprehensive study of gender differences in science careers provides a systematic account of how US youths are selected into and out of science education in early life and how social forces affect career outcomes later in the science labour market The authors explore the extent and causes of gender differences in undergraduate and graduate science education, in scientists' geographic mobility, in research productivity, in promotion rates and earnings, and in the experience of immigrant scientists They conclude that the gender gap in parenting responsibilities is a critical barrier to the further advancement of women in science

Economic Potential and Entry into Marriage and Cohabitation

Abstract: This article explores the relationship between economic potential and rates of entry into marriage and cohabitation. Using data from the 1990 census and the 1980–1992 High School and Beyond (Sophomore Cohort), we developed a method for explicitly estimating five time-varying measures of earnings potential. The analyses of union formation are based on an intergenerational panel study of parents and children, to which our measures of earnings potential were appended. The results indicate that all five measures of earnings potential strongly and positively influence the likelihood of marriage for men, but not for women. Earnings potential does not affect entry into cohabiting unions for either men or women.

Does the market pay off? Earnings returns to education in Urban China

Abstract: Previous work on the market transition in reform-era China has missed the direct link between individuals' labour market history and individuals' labour market outcome. A typology of workers is developed based on individuals' labour market histories, and a model of selective mobility of workers from the state sector to the market sector is offered as an explanation for higher earnings returns to education in the market sector. Analysis of data from an urban survey in China reveals that commonly observed higher earnings returns to education in the market sector are limited only to recent market entrants, and that early market entrants resemble state workers in both their level of earnings and returns to education. These results challenge the prevailing wisdom that education is necessarily more highly rewarded in the market sector. Thus it is concluded that higher returns to education in the market sector should not be construed as being caused by marketization per se, and instead that the sorting process of workers in labour markets helps explain the sectoral differentials.

Revisiting racial differences in college attendance: The role of historically black colleges and universities

Abstract: It is well known that the college enrollment rates of blacks have historically trailed those of whites, although in recent decades the actual size of the racial gap has fluctuated. Prior research has shown that blacks are more likely than whites to attend college after high school graduation, net of socioeconomic background and academic performance. It has been suggested that this net black advantage may be spurious-due to blacks' relatively high enrollment rates in historically black colleges and universities. With data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988-1994, this hypothesis is tested by examining black-white differences in enrollment in different types of colleges: any college, four-year colleges, non-black four-year colleges, and academically selective four-year colleges. Overall, results confirm the existence of a net black advantage at low levels of family socioeconomic background. The implications of these findings for racial equality in access to higher education are explored.

Explaining Sex Differences in Publication Productivity among Postsecondary Faculty

Abstract: In all academic disciplines, scholarly productivity is a primary marker of career success Productive scholars are rewarded with promotions in rank, favorable job mobility, and pay raises Likewise, unproductive scholars are considered “unsuccessful” and are sometimes pushed out of their own institutions or out of the academy altogether While publication rate of scholarly work per se may not be an accurate measure of scholarly contribution in all disciplines, the adage “publish or perish” portrays the pressure that pervades the postsecondary community This adage emphasizes the weight placed on quantifiable measures of productivity in the assessment of scholarly contribution, and it reflects the important role of publication in determining career success among faculty in the academy Given the strong link between publication productivity and career advancement, explaining sex differences in publication rates clearly advances our understanding of sex differences in the career progress and outcomes of postsecondary faculty The large volume of research aimed at explaining sex differences in scholarly productivity attests to the importance of this effort (for reviews see Zuckerman 1991; Long and Fox 1995; Ward and Grant 1995) Until very recently (Xie and Shauman 1998), however, research was unsuccessful at explaining the reasons for sex differences in research productivity, and indeed such sex differences among scientists were labeled a “productivity puzzle” by Cole and Zuckerman (1984:218) and accepted as such by many other scholars Equnl Rites, Unequal Outcomes: Women in American Research Universities Edited by Homig, Kluwer academic/Plenum Publishers, 2003

Wu, Xiaogang and Yu Xie. 2003. “Does the Market Pay Off? Earnings Inequality and Returns to Education in Urban China.

Abstract: The paper examines earnings inequality and earnings returns to education in China among four types of workers characterized by their labor market history. Compared to workers staying in the state sector, early market entrants no longer enjoyed advantages. The commonly observed higher earnings returns to education in the market sector are only limited to recent market entrants. This results from the aggregation of two very different types of workers: those who were \"pushed\" and those who \"jumped\" into the market in later stage of the reform. The findings challenge the prevailing wisdom that education is necessarily more highly rewarded by the market sector.

Erratum to: “Economic Potential and Entry Into Marriage and Cohabitation”

Abstract: Because of a file-translation error, three equations were omitted from an article appearing in this issue. The error occurred on page 357 in “Economic Potential and Entry Into Marriage and Cohabitation,” by Yu Xie, James M. Raymo, Kimberly Goyette, and Arland Thornton. We regret that the error was noticed only after the issue was printed and bound. The omitted equations and the associated text are below.