Career-Relationship Intersections of Women in STEM Post-Secondary Programs and Their Romantic Partners
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STEM, Action-Project Method, Career Development, Romantic Relationship, Emerging Adults
Abstract
This study explored how emerging adult women in STEM post-secondary programs jointly pursue their career plans with their romantic partners. The Action-Project Method (A-PM) was used to conduct an exploratory qualitative inquiry with six emerging adult couples, ages 20 to 28, from Western Canada, where there was a woman pursuing STEM-related university education. A-PM video-assisted interviews and consensus-based qualitative analysis within and across cases revealed the intersection of STEM career goals and other life goals commonly encountered during emerging adulthood, and career decision-making processes for the woman in STEM. Couples’ STEM-related conversations were characterized by high levels of selfdisclosure, comfort sharing their perspectives with each other, and, for several couples, warm and collaborative conversational tones. Furthermore, partners provided a variety of supports for the women to persist in their STEM career paths. Additional emergent themes included (a) experiencing various challenges with pursuing STEM career paths, (b) family of origin expectations in pursuing STEM, (c) the assumption that both members of the couple would be working in the long term, (d) attempting to achieve work-life balance, and (e) discussion of the purpose of work in a person’s life.
Note: co-author José Domene was at the University of Calgary when this study was conducted but has subsequently relocated to Simon Fraser University.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Lindsay Warner, José F. Domene, Kristina Waldmann (Author)
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