• Learn how marginalizing STEM environments affect graduate Women of Color  
• Learn tools to protect yourself from experiences of racism and sexism 
• Learn how to dismantle microaggressions

“There was at least one person in my cohort who jokingly said, essentially, that I only got into the program because I was a Black woman. ... it was just like another stab at that confidence, like you don’t actually belong here. You’re only here to fill the quota.” 

“I remember personally one of my PIs rotation, he stopped me in the middle of a presentation to correct me on how to say a word, like, ‘We don’t say that word. That’s not how you say it. This is how you say it’… It caught me off guard. And it didn’t only happen to me. It happened to my friends, like I said, one of the girls from [country in Asia], she was told in her feedback, ‘Oh, you need to improve your English. It’s very distracting.” 

“Having come up through my undergrad program where it was drilled into us how important it is to have this minority PhD pipeline and how gruesome the statistics are on Black representation, that was a motivator for me not to [leave]. Because we need women, like Black women PhDs, like we need those… That was something that I was afraid [of] and like, ‘Oh, I’ve let down the culture.’”

The chilly and unwelcoming nature of STEM environments has historically served to ostracize Women of Color, undermine their confidence in themselves as STEM professionals, and used stereotypes and other discriminatory tactics to challenge their belonging and right to exist in those spaces. 

In fact, of the undergraduate women enrolled in STEM majors, Black and Latinx women leave their degree programs at higher rates than their White counterparts: 40% for Black women, 37% for Latinx women, and 20% for White women (NSF, 2017). In 2015, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that the percentage of Women of Color who attended graduate school STEM degree programs was as follows: Asian women (5%), Black women (2.9%), and Latinx women (3.8%). 

For Women of Color in STEM doctoral programs, the seven-year attrition rate is 34%, and more than half of this subset of women discontinue their STEM degree programs within the first two-years (Sowell et al, 2015). In 2016, only 7.8% of master’s degrees in science and engineering, and 5% of doctorate degrees in science and engineering were awarded to women from racial- and ethnic-minority backgrounds (NSF, 2015).

Despite decades of efforts to increase parity in STEM, these statistics indicate that Women of Color remain significantly underrepresented in STEM.

Efforts to address the inequitable representation of diverse students in STEM tend to focus on women and minorities. However, such a focus renders invisible the ways in which these two social groups intersect, as they do in the lives of Women of Color. 

Researchers regard this focus on “women and minorities” as the “ampersand problem” (Bowleg, 2012). The focus on “women and minorities” not only implies a universally gendered and racialized experience but also promotes the belief that solutions are equally applicable to all women and People of Color, when that is not the case.

Black feminst scholars have worked to make explicit  the ways in which social inequality, in conjunction with power and privilege, are shaped by many interlocking systems that directly influence each other. The terms Intersectionality, Gendered Racism, and the Double Bind (in STEM) provide frameworks to assist in rendering these marginalized experiences visible.

Intersectionality

The term “intersectionality” was coined by American lawyer and activist Kimberlé Crenshaw (1991) to describe the ways in which  systems of power and oppression impact individuals’ lived experiences based on their intersecting social identities. Social group identities may include:

• Age 
• Race or Ethnicity
• Class
• Religion
• Ability
• Sexuality
• Gender
• Citizenship

 

See here for source. 

For example, it is often cited that women make less money than men. Looking closer, the data tells a more nuanced story: White women earn more than Black men, and Black men earn more than Latinx and Black women. Taking an intersectional approach to understanding inequities helps us understand these disparities in a more nuanced way. 

Gendered Racism 

Gendered racism was first coined by sociologist Philomena Essed (1991) and was used to describe the reproduction of institutional racism through various facets and arenas in a person’s everyday life. It is a form of oppression that occurs as a product of a person’s race and gender identities, or the intersecting experience of racism and sexism experienced by Women of Color. Studies have found that repeated experiences of gendered racism have been significantly related to Black women’s psychological distress.

The Double Bind

In STEM contexts specifically, Shirley Malcom, Paula Hall, and Janet Brown (1975) were the first to call attention to the simultaneous experiences of both sexism and racism faced by Women of Color. These scholars characterized this unique intersectional experience as the ‘double bind.’ The double bind is noteworthy becuase it sheds light on how Women of Color in STEM experience prejudice and discrimination both as women and as People of Color, within a predominantly White and masculine STEM environment.

By understanding these three concepts - Intersectionality, Gendered Racism, and the Double Bind - you can see how the impact of these marginalizing encounters exacerbates what constitutes the “chilly” STEM climate for Women of Color. 

Adopting an intersectional approach allows us to understand that graduate Women of Color bring their full selves, and therefore multiple intersecting identities, into classrooms and laboratories. What occurs outside in the world as well as inside the STEM environment has the potential to impact their experience. 

Women of Color not only contend with systemic acts of hate in the larger society, but must also navigate the chilly STEM climate which is replete with further oppressive and marginalizing acts. In this section, we will highlight the systemic and structural barriers that occur both inside and outside of the STEM environment to provide insight into the multiplicative toll of how structural racism impacts graduate Women of Color. 

Systemic and Structural Barriers Inside STEM

• Hypervisibility & Invisibility - Navigating gendered experiences in a male dominated environment can contribute to women feeling hyper-aware of their gender. For Women of Color, there is a heightened awareness of not only their gender, but also their race. Navigating both racialized and gendered experiences in STEM has simultaneously rendered Women of Color as both invisible and hypervisible.

As it relates to invisibility, Women of Color in STEM are often discredited as future scientists, and instead viewed as representatives of their race and gender. Being regarded as only a representative of one’s race and gender can take a substantial toll. For example, Women of Color frequently reported that, as a result of feeling like “the only one” with respect to their racial and gender identity, they felt an immense amount of pressure to succeed and function in STEM spaces. Many worried that if they failed to succeed, their STEM programs would likely think twice about admitting other Women of Color into the program (Wilkins-Yel, et al., 2019).

Although Women of Color were not seen as emerging scientists, they were often one of a few, if not the only, Women of Color in their labs and departments. This status as a “solo,” rendered them hypervisible to scrutiny and marginalization. For example, Women of Color reported feeling “surveilled” by their male peers and negatively judged due to assumptions that they are intellectually inferior (Ong et al., 2011). So, Women of Color must contend with the stressors of being scrutinized (hypervisibility) but not recognized (invisibility) (Settles, Buchanan, et al., 2019). 

• Gender-, Racial-, and Gendered-Racial Microaggressions - Women of Colors’ educational experiences are constantly hampered by often nuanced encounters of marginalization in STEM spaces. In the 1970s, American psychiatrist Chester Pierce (1978) coined the term microaggression to describe these discriminatory experiences.

According to Pierce, microaggressions are “subtle, stunning, often automatic and nonverbal exchanges that are ‘put-downs’ of Blacks by offenders”. Over time, the term microaggression has evolved and now encapsulates any subtle manifestations of bias or negative attitudes that are directed towards people who hold marginalized identities. Thus, a microaggression can be a subtle slight made towards a person on the basis of their race, as in the case of People of Color, gender, as it relates to women, and gendered-racial microaggressions, as in the case of Women of Color.

Racial microaggression. Derald Wing Sue, a renowned counseling psychologist, built on Pierce’s (1978) early work on microaggressions to describe racial microaggressions specifically. He defined these acts as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color” (Sue et al., 2007). An example of a racial microaggression is assuming that a Person of Color in an office building is a custodial worker. Such an assumption implies that the person is not qualified enough to work in any other position but that of a custodian.

Gender microaggression. Similar to a racial microaggression, a gender microaggression is any brief, nuanced, everyday exchange that communicates sexist ideas that unfairly criticize women (Capodilupo, et al., 2010). A common gender microaggression that occurs in STEM is when men talk over women or dismiss her ideas only to think that they are valid when they have been shared by a colleague. These behaviors imply that a woman’s contributions are less valid than her male counterparts.

Gendered-Racial microaggressions. Both racial microaggressions and gender microaggressions fail to account for the intersectional ways in which microaggressions are enacted. Consequently, counseling psychologist Jioni Lewis coined the term gendered-racial microaggressions and defined it as, “subtle and everyday verbal, behavioral, and environmental expressions of oppression based on the intersection of one’s race and gender” (Lewis et al., 2013, p. 51). An example of a gendered-racial microaggression is perceiving a Black woman’s response to an issue as ‘angry’ because of how she may have spoken. This perception stifles a Black woman’s ability to engage in the full range of expressing herself.

Please see the Microaggressions module for more on these topics.

Systemic and Structural Barriers Outside STEM

Anti-Black racism and police brutality are contemporary and historical sources of trauma in Black communities. Although this violence plagues both Black men and women, what happens to Black women receives far less public outcry. In essence, their pain and trauma are rendered invisible by overwhelming silence (Hargons et al., 2017). Therefore, when Black women are situated in STEM spaces where they are significantly underrepresented, they are forced to carry these social burdens and their related traumas into the classroom. The cumulative toll of this burden can pose a risk to the totality of Black women’s educational experiences. The quote below is from a Black woman in engineering who ultimately decided to discontinue her PhD. Here, she describes what it was like to be bombarded with images and news pieces about the killing of Black people and feeling like this pain was invisible to those in her lab:

While I was in grad school, there was a huge up-swelling of instances where unarmed black people were being gunned down by police. It was something that was always on my social media. I felt like just because of what I looked like and who I was affiliated with, I didn't matter… I didn't feel like [my peers] empathized or could really understand what it felt like to feel so insignificant, even though we're both pursuing the same type of degree.

In response to the uptick in murders of Black people in the United States, STEM communities generated the #ShutDownSTEM hashtag, which was instituted on June 10th, 2020 as a massive shutdown to academia. #ShutDownSTEM was also an effort to challenge the institutional racism that had similarly threatened the lives of Black people in STEM who had been obliged to continue with “business as usual” while such rampant injustice towards Black lives was taking place. On this day, Black Academics and Black STEM professionals were encouraged to tend to themselves, their emotional needs, take time to rest, or find ways to take action that was safe for them, while non-Black persons were encouraged to educate themselves about how they could help to eliminate racism.   

Further, the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color, which means that graduate Women of Color are at an increased likelihood of having family members who have passed due to the virus, or have fallen ill and are in need of care. 

These are just some examples of the systemic and structural barriers that lie both inside and outside of STEM that inevitably contribute to graduate Women of Color’s wellbeing and ability to persist.

Now that we understand the factors that contribute to the inequitable representation of Women of Color in STEM, let’s turn to strategies that could aid in combating this underrepresentation. Here we’ll provide tips for disrupting, dismantling, and disarming microaggressions, and general suggestions for graduate Women of Color. Then we will provide action items to create structural change within the system.  Disrupting, Dismantling, and Disarming Microaggressions Experiences of racism and sexism take an inevitable toll on one’s well being and academic success. When someone experiences a microaggression (i.e., subtle forms of racism and sexism), the experience can feel isolating, painful, and paralyzing. Emotional reactions such as anxiety, guilt, or helplessness are also very common. Or you might find yourself negotiating the intention of the microaggressive comment with the impact it had on you. When you are the target of microaggressions, it can be hard to know what to do.  The first rule of thumb when you are the target of a microaggression is to take care of yourself. It is not the responsibility of Women of Color to educate or confront perpetrators when the sting of prejudice and discrimnation pains them. Researchers have identified a list of coping strategies to implement to combat racism and microaggressions: 

• Lean into your social support, particularly shared-identity support spaces  -
  • Find others who intimately understand what you are going through, and who can provide emotional solace when you are discussing negative experiences related to race and culture. 
  • Counterspaces in STEM are often considered “safe spaces'' for underrepresented groups, such as Women of Color. These shared-identity support spaces allow underrepresented students the opportunity to receive validation of their critical knowledge and experiences, vent frustrations by sharing stories of isolation, microaggressions, and other forms of discrimination, while also creating and maintaining a positive racial climate for themselves (Ong, Smith, et al, 2017).
• Externalize the impact - 
  • Externalizing microaggressive encounters can minimize the degree to which one  internalizes the impact of microaggressions. Here are some examples of how you can externalize the assault when you are the target of microaggressions:
    • Microaggression: I am mistaken for someone else of the same racial background. 
      • Externalizing reframe: I have and will continue to build a powerful sense of self that strengthens me.
    • Microaggression: Others characterize me as “angry”
      • Externalizing reframe: I critically question and reject negative stereotypes and society’s lowered expectations of BIPOC leaders. 
    • Microaggression: Others regularly take credit for my ideas in meetings.
      • Externalizing reframe: At times, I experience painful bias, but I do not let these microaggressions limit my career. Instead of shutting down or quitting, I choose to seek the support of my colleagues in making my workplace more inclusive.
  • In addition to the above examples of ways to externalize microaggressions, remember that the intent behind a microaggressive comment does not negate the mental, emotional, or psychological impact that such a comment has on you. So, know that, regardless of the perpetrators’ intent, your feelings are valid and you have the right to respond in the manner you see fit - whether that is immediately, later, or not at all. 
• Own and validate your identity as an emerging scientist in your respective program. So, decrease the tendency to preface comments with phrases like “I think” or “I am not sure, but…” to boost [your] own confidence in [your] identity.
• Confront racism directly or indirectly
  • Confronting racism, either directly or indirectly, can feel challenging, nerve wracking, intimidating, and at times, even painful. In recognition of this, a person can ask themselves any of the following questions before making the decision to confront racism (Nadal, 2014): 
    • If I respond, could my physical safety be in danger?
    • If I respond, will the person become defensive and will this lead to an argument?
    • If I respond, how will this affect my relationship with this person (e.g., co-worker, family member, faculty member, etc.)
    • If I don’t respond, will I regret not saying something?
    • If I don’t respond, does that convey that I accept the behavior or statement?

Promoting Systemic Change  Creating systemic and cultural change to support graduate Women of Color in STEM requires an intentional effort across all stakeholders. Here are suggestions for: 1) STEM departments, and 2) faculty advisors. STEM Departments It is not a women’s responsibility to change the environment that marginalized her. Department Chairs and Administrators hold tremendous power in creating anti-oppressive STEM environments. Here are some strategies that STEM departments can use to create more inclusive and anti-racist environments. 

• Promote awareness of and access to counterspaces (e.g. graduate student networks and caucuses, STEM diversity conferences, churches and spiritual communities; Ong, Smith & Ko, 2017)
• Provide anti-racist training to faculty and staff
• Provide opportunities and resources for students to connect with persons in authority and develop mentoring relationships across departments and disciplines. 

Below is an example of one of many tweets collected from the #ShutDownSTEM efforts. Dr. Nii, a STEM professor at Yale, calls attention to further considerations for departments and faculty to take action against racism in STEM:      Faculty Advisors The graduate advising relationship is at the crux of the graduate school experience (Primé, et al., 2015). We recommend that advisors take an active role in the culture shift within the academy by engaging in mentoring that centers a culture of care. Advisors should:

• Disrupt racist and sexist comments in the classroom and the lab
• Recognize the signs of psychological stress (e.g. anxiety, depression) that can come with racial battle fatigue. Normalize help seeking behaviors (See Mental Health module)
• Validate graduate Women of Color’s belonging with written and verbal encouragement 
• Use self-disclosure to help combat the impact of imposter syndrome by sharing similar experiences from your own graduate studies
• Readily ask students what they are doing to prioritize their wellbeing, and share things you have done for yourself to promote a culture of care and work/life balance

For more information on STEM faculty advisors, check out the “Advisor Issues” module. Being a Women of Color in STEM can sometimes feel like a long walk down a lonely road. And when you’re the target of discriminatory comments about parts of your identity, not only does the walk feel longer, but it can also start to feel mentally challenging, emotionally taxing, and at times, simply unfair! In the midst of those competing feelings that Women of Color are often forced to endure on their own, this module is meant to validate the challenging experiences you might have faced in your STEM graduate programs and share strategies for ways you can conquer the trials that arise on your journey to degree completion. 

By applying an intersectional framework to the challenges faced by graduate Women of Color in STEM, you can better see how structural barriers both within and outside the STEM setting have the potential to negatively influence your experiences.

Use this intersectional framework to contextualize the challenges you might face in your graduate program, and use the tools and strategies presented here to minimize the degree to which you internalize these structural and systemic problems.

The Good, the Bad, the "Only"

Advisor Issues

Separate Advisors and Mentors

Gender Bias in the U.S.

Experience as an international Grad Student

Being Comfortable as a Woman Among Men

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