Research for Inclusive STEM Education Center, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2023 Jul 19;18(7):e0287795. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287795. eCollection 2023.
Concealable stigmatized identities (CSIs) are hidden identities that carry negative stereotypes and can result in a loss of social status if revealed. Instructors often choose to conceal these CSIs due to anticipated negative student reactions, yet revealing CSIs can have a positive impact on undergraduates. Women are generally more likely to reveal personal aspects about themselves in social situations, but may face greater consequences for revealing a stigmatized identity to students given their already marginalized position in academic science and engineering. Therefore, in this study, we were interested in understanding to what extent there are differences between men and women science and engineering instructors in (i) the representation of CSIs, (ii) their decisions to reveal CSIs to undergraduates in their classes, and (iii) their perceived stigma of CSIs. Based on a national survey of over 2,000 instructors in science and engineering from very high research activity doctoral institutions, we found that women were more likely than men to report having depression, anxiety, or a disability. Of instructors who held CSIs, women had 1.5x higher odds than men of revealing their CSIs to some undergraduates compared to no undergraduates and perceived greater stigma associated with all CSIs. Despite perceiving greater stigma associated with concealable stigmatized identities, women are more likely to reveal their CSIs to college science and engineering students, leading the way to a more diverse and inclusive scientific community by demonstrating themselves as role models for these identities.
可隐藏的污名化身份（CSIs）是指带有负面刻板印象的隐藏身份，如果暴露，可能会导致社会地位的丧失。由于预计学生会有负面反应，教师通常会选择隐藏这些 CSIs，但揭示 CSIs 可能会对本科生产生积极影响。女性通常更愿意在社交场合中透露自己的个人方面，但由于她们在学术科学和工程领域已经处于边缘化地位，因此向学生透露带有污名化的身份可能会面临更大的后果。因此，在这项研究中，我们感兴趣的是了解男女科学和工程教师在以下方面存在多大差异：(i) CSIs 的代表性，(ii) 他们在课堂上向本科生揭示 CSIs 的决定，以及 (iii) 他们对 CSIs 的感知污名。基于对来自高研究活动博士机构的 2000 多名科学和工程教师的全国性调查，我们发现，与男性相比，女性更有可能报告患有抑郁症、焦虑症或残疾。在持有 CSIs 的教师中，与没有本科生相比，女性向一些本科生而不是没有本科生透露 CSIs 的可能性是男性的 1.5 倍，并且对所有 CSIs 的感知污名更大。尽管女性对可隐藏的污名化身份的感知污名更大，但她们更有可能向大学科学和工程专业的学生透露自己的 CSIs，为这些身份树立榜样，从而为更具多样性和包容性的科学界开辟道路。
