Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
Schneider Electric, Nashville, TN, USA.
J Neurosci Res. 2021 Jan;99(1):13-23. doi: 10.1002/jnr.24631. Epub 2020 Oct 25.
Recently there is widespread interest in women's underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); however, progress toward gender equality in these fields is slow. More alarmingly, these gender disparities worsen when examining women's representation within STEM departments in academia. While the number of women receiving postgraduate degrees has increased in recent years, the number of women in STEM faculty positions remains largely unchanged. One explanation for this lack of progress toward gender parity is negative and pervasive gender stereotypes, which may facilitate hiring discrimination and reduce opportunities for women's career advancement. Women in STEM also have lower social capital (e.g., support networks), limiting women's opportunities to earn tenure and learn about grant funding mechanisms. Women faculty in STEM may also perceive their academic climate as unwelcoming and threatening, and report hostility and uncomfortable tensions in their work environments, such as sexual harassment and discrimination. Merely the presence of gender-biased cues in physical spaces targeted toward men (e.g., "geeky" décor) can foster a sense of not belonging in STEM. We describe the following three factors that likely contribute to gender inequalities and women's departure from academic STEM fields: (a) numeric underrepresentation and stereotypes, (b) lack of supportive social networks, and (c) chilly academic climates. We discuss potential solutions for these problems, focusing on National Science Foundation-funded ADVANCE organizational change interventions that target (a) recruiting diverse applicants (e.g., training search committees), (b) mentoring, networking, and professional development (e.g., promoting women faculty networks); and (c) improving academic climate (e.g., educating male faculty on gender bias).
最近，人们对女性在科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域的代表性不足普遍感兴趣；然而，这些领域实现性别平等的进展缓慢。更令人担忧的是，当考察学术界 STEM 部门中女性的代表性时，这些性别差距会恶化。尽管近年来获得研究生学位的女性人数有所增加，但 STEM 教师岗位中的女性人数基本保持不变。这种在实现性别平等方面缺乏进展的一个解释是消极和普遍存在的性别刻板印象，这可能会助长招聘歧视，减少女性职业发展的机会。女性在 STEM 领域的社会资本（例如，支持网络）也较低，限制了女性获得终身职位和了解资助机制的机会。STEM 领域的女性教职员工也可能认为他们的学术环境不友好和充满威胁，并报告在工作环境中存在敌意和不舒服的紧张气氛，例如性骚扰和歧视。仅仅是针对男性的物理空间中存在性别偏见的线索（例如，“极客”装饰），就会让人感到在 STEM 领域没有归属感。我们描述了以下三个可能导致性别不平等和女性离开学术 STEM 领域的因素：（a）数量上的代表性不足和刻板印象，（b）缺乏支持性的社交网络，（c）冷漠的学术氛围。我们讨论了解决这些问题的潜在方法，重点关注美国国家科学基金会资助的 ADVANCE 组织变革干预措施，这些措施针对（a）招聘多元化的申请人（例如，培训招聘委员会），（b）指导、网络和专业发展（例如，促进女性教职员工网络）；和（c）改善学术氛围（例如，教育男性教师了解性别偏见）。
