This dissertation contains three independent papers on labor and demographic economics. In the first paper, I develop evidence, hypothesize, and empirically examine the effects of different types of prior experience of founders on annual job creation in new ventures. I use a two-stage estimation method; a random-effects negative binomial model (second stage) corrected for survival bias using a discrete-time hazard model (first stage). The paper adds to the literature by examining how the impact of founder experience on job creation changes under uncertainty using high-tech industries and industry recession as proxies for uncertainty.

In the second paper, I utilize an intersectionality framework of gender and race/ethnicity to examine retention in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce, employing a multinomial/binary logit framework. I also examine the factors impacting the movement of STEM graduates either into STEM-unrelated jobs or out of the labor force. The paper aims to contribute to the existing literature by accommodating a switch to career pathways that require STEM expertise in non-STEM environments as well.

In the third paper, I explore whether the proportion of women in leadership positions (leadership diversity) is lower in the STEM sectors than in the non-STEM sector at both low- and high-level leadership positions. I then examine whether the gender gap in leadership attainment in STEM occupations is related to occupational sex composition. To achieve this, the paper applies an endogenous switching probit model to account for workers’ self-selection into public and private sectors.