The Person Behind the Picture: Influence of Social and Cultural Capital on Geoscience Career Pathways

The amalgamation of fields in the geosciences share one desire: a better understanding of the natural world and the relationship humans have with that world. As issues such as climate change and clean water become globally recognized the geoscience job market grows. To insure these issues are resolved in ways that are fully representative of the entire human population, attention has been turned to increasing diversity of scientists in the geosciences. This study is based in the theory of social and cultural capital, types of non-financial wealth obtained by individuals and groups through connections and experiences. In particular, we investigated how individuals accessed specific resources and opportunities which eventually led to their entering the geosciences. Surveys were distributed to volunteers at a multinational geoscience conference held in fall of 2016. These surveys asked participants to "draw a picture of the people and experiences that have influenced your career up to this point." Nearly 150 completed drawings were coded through a thematic content analysis, wherein salient characteristics of drawings were documented and later grouped into common themes. We found that specific people (family, professors, peers) provided access to resources (education, museums, parks) as well as experiences (camping, traveling, research) that were instrumental in career building. Correlation analysis revealed two representative models of the drawings. These models aligned with the constructs of social and cultural capital. Cultural capital was more prevalent in majority white than nonwhite participants, suggesting different pathways into geoscience careers. We hope this research will inspire future work as well as highlight ways in which social and cultural capital can become accessible to future generations to produce a system with equal opportunities and increase diversity in the geosciences, resulting in better decision-making on global issues.