Discontinuity management in natural scientific and technological career paths

The notion of employment-biographical discontinuities refers to the social phenomenon where individual employment histories increasingly consist of a number of radically different phases, these histories are characterised by fractures and changes and they can less readily be planned biographically. While these discontinuites are not restricted by gender, they do especially affect women, who face the challenge of arranging satisfying career paths for themselves. Little information is available regarding employment in the fields of the natural sciences and technology in Austria, concerning behaviour when entering, reentering or exiting occupations or switching between them. The research thus aimed at painting a multidimensional portrait of such discontinuities in those fields.