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Abstract Concerns about family life push some students away from a career in science or lead them away from particular career paths within science. Religion has been shown to have an influence on individuals’ values concerning both family and work. This study uses data from a survey of U.S. graduate students in five science disciplines to estimate a structural equation model examining paths between religiosity, work and family values, and intent to pursue different careers within science. The analysis finds that religiosity is positively associated with the importance placed on family and, through this mediator, is associated with a lower intent to pursue research‐focused academic jobs and higher intent to pursue teaching‐focused academic jobs. We discuss the implications of these findings, particularly as the analysis shows that women and some racial and ethnic minority students are more religious than their male and white peers. 

Students from underrepresented groups face numerous challenges during their scientific education and training, including discrimination. Research tends to investigate student experiences with discrimination on the basis of a single characteristic, but an intersectional framework is necessary for understanding the complexity of discrimination. Using data from a survey of more than 1,300 U.S. graduate students in five natural and social science disciplines, the authors examine the predictors of reported discrimination across three different characteristics: gender, race, and religion. They find that nearly two thirds of students report discrimination on at least one characteristic, while almost 30 percent report discrimination along multiple characteristics. Multivariate analyses show that a student’s report of discrimination on any one characteristic is significantly associated with increased odds of reporting discrimination on each of the other two characteristics. This suggests that an individual’s experiences within one social location are often intertwined with and influence their experiences with in other social locations. 

Abstract Why do some individuals perceive religion and science as being in conflict while others do not? Research suggests that individuals’ endorsement of religion–science conflict is often as much an expression of identity and group membership as it is an intellectual assessment of the relationship. This study examines this dynamic among graduate students in five science disciplines in the United States. An analysis of original survey data finds that students who both identify strongly with science and believe that others in their scientific discipline are hostile toward religion are more likely to say that religion and science are in conflict and that they are on the side of science. This suggests that endorsements of religion–science conflict are a way for students to express solidarity with a group that is important to their identity.