Microclimate Effects on STEM Diversity
Dear friends of women in science,
In 2007, NSF awarded the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity a grant to help identify and test best practices in increasing success of women and minorities in STEM education. Recently, AAC&U published a report on part of this study, coauthored by Claudia Morrell, chief operating officer at the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, and Carolyn Parker, Assistant Professor in Johns Hopkins University School of Education.
The most interesting part of this report to me was about micromessages, negative and positive, that pile up over time to influence the career decisions of students. Many of you recall Christianne Corbet's explanations of such influences when she highlighted parts of "Why So Few," the AAUW report on women in STEM fields, on this forum. In the report, Moreelee and Parker quoted previous research to the effect that a negative message goes to the female student asked to be the scribe, when her male colleagues are asked to collect data and set up apparatus. Even if the female student takes on the role herself, if she never gets to actually do the science, it may "imply that women are more capable as scribes than as scientists. Rowe demonstrated that microinequities, when accumulated over time, can damage individuals' self-esteem and self-efficacy, and consequently their performance or decision making in the workplace or classroom."
You may recall the positive effects of telling girls that mathematics is a skill that gets better with practice, instead of an inborn ability, from Christi's earlier discussions. That's an example of a positive micromessage.
Do you notice any effects of micromessages in your own setting? Or did you experience such micromessages and have to fight off their influences?
cheers,
Laura
Wow, Cheryl, Helen, Susan, and Ilona,
This topic really hit a nerve it seems. It used to be coffee service, but now, it's scribing/administration it seems. We need to achieve the right to say no, somehow. I remember the first time I said , "No, thank you," to my thesis supervisor who asked if I would serve coffee to our journal club (mostly men). He looked shocked, but asked another woman. Sadly, she agreed.
cheers,
Laura
Micromessaging persists at all age levels. Women, young or not, and in any workplace, are often relied on as scribes and organizers, rather than idea-generators. This is in labs/public sector as much as in private sector, in my experience. Even today, as a manager of content development and strategy, i am asked by colleagues to organize other people's work.
I agree with Cheryl; the messages don't stop with age or experience. For example, I see women faculty often asked to do significant administrative service where those doing the asking take pains not to ask male faculty to give up their research time.
Hi Laura,
I think these messages are very powerful when they are summed up. I watch for it in my son's preschool classes where you can already see the girls being asked to do "girl" activities while the boys get to actively do the science and animal care.
This affects my son and his interests too. He's one of the only boys in his cooking class, and he is rarely allowed to stir the mixes or decorate their creations. Those are "girl" things. Instead he is asked to lift the heavy pots and clean up.
It starts so young...
Helen
Laura---I think this kind of thing is a lot like the cold shoulders that full professor women experience. If you tell anyone about these things, they sound tiny and picky. But it's a tsunami if they keep on happening, and then women give up. Here, it makes complete sense to me that it happens to girls in college classes.
CKR
