Diversity and Your Department

Reuben, E., Sapienza, P., & Zingales, L. (2014). How Stereotypes Impair Women's Careers in Science. PNAS, 111(12), 4403-4408. (PDF)

In this study, an experiment is designed that shows that women face significant discrimination when they apply to jobs in math and science fields. This report verifies the assumption that there is discrimination against women working in these fields.

Strayhorn, T. L. (2010). Undergraduate Research Participation and Stem Graduate Degree Aspirations among Students of Color. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2010(148), 85-93. (PDF)

In this report, Strayhorn outlines several statistics that give the reader a thorough look into who pursues careers in STEM-related fields. Strayhorn then moves on to show how undergraduate research opportunities work to retain STEM students through graduate school and into the workforce. This article is helpful because it neatly packages several statistics into an easy-to-read introduction to the problem of retention in science fields.

Olberding, A., Irvin, S., & Ellis, S. (2014). Best Practices for Fostering Diversity in Tenure-Track Searches. American Philosophical Association Newsletters: Feminism and Philosophy, 13(2), 27-36. (PDF)

In this essay, Olberding et al. methodically work through the entire job-search process and give instruction at every step to increase inclusivity and reduce biases. There are tips in this study that pretty much every department could incorporate into their hiring process.

Garmon, S. Sexual and Gender Diversity in Physics | Prettyqueer.Com. Retrieved from https://prettyqueer.com/2012/12/04/sexual-and-gender-diversity-in-physics/

This article is a personal narrative by a trans woman, describing her self-discovery while becoming a physicist. This article would be great to circulate to non-binary students that have doubts about the compatibility of their futures and their identities.

Tags: Trans
Gender
Careers

Götschel, H. (2014). No Space for Girliness in Physics: Understanding and Overcoming the Masculinity of Physics. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 9(2), 531–537. (PDF)

In this study, Götschel shifts attention from the struggle of women in physics to the struggle of the feminine in physics. She argues that in order to 'pass' in the world of physics, women (and feminine boys) must deny their girliness, and she argues that physics needs to work towards a greater acceptance of "the other," and not an assimilation thereof. This is a nuanced view, and recommended for all instructors.

Kirkpatrick, J. (2014, November 26). Women In Astronomy: On Planck's Law, Blackbodies and the Physics of Diversity. Retrieved from https://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2014/11/on-plancks-law-blackbodies-and-physics.html

This is a basic explanation, through the use of metaphor, of how intersectionality affects the experience of being a researcher and scientist. This is a good place to start if you are unfamiliar with the ideas of intersectionality and would like an explanation in understandable language.