ABSTRACT. The ‘leaky pipeline’ entails the progressive loss of competent women faculty members in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These leaks have been identified at various career stages, including selection, promotion, and retention. Efforts to increase female representation in STEM academia have had mixed results: Although the overall percentage of STEM women faculty has increased in recent decades, the percentage of women of color faculty (WOCF) in STEM has decreased. These differential effects may stem from the fact that most existing interventions for increasing female representation in STEM academia have not been intersectional in nature. However, when the intersectionality of race−ethnicity and gender are accounted for, WOCF are more likely to thrive professionally and feel like they matter to the institution. In this article, intersectionality theory is employed to identify the specific barriers in selection, promotion, and retention faced by WOCF within the scope of academic STEM careers and to identify the types of interventions that are likely to be particularly effective at fixing these leaks. In doing so, this article provides a framework for future research in the area of improving diversity and inclusion of WOCF in STEM.
Liu, S.-N. C., Brown, S. E. V., & Sabat, I. E. (2019). Patching the “leaky pipeline”: Interventions for women of color faculty in STEM academia. Archives of Scientific Psychology, 7(1), 32–39. https://doi-org.libproxy.kenyon.edu/10.1037/arc0000062
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