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Potential solutions for discrimination in STEM

Nature Human Behaviour volume 5, pages 672–674 (2021)Cite this article

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Science is still an enterprise in which positions of power are mainly held by white, cis-gender, male academics. We discuss how the legacy of science’s exclusionary past still persists in scientific structures and propose concrete changes to open the system to a more diverse future.

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Fig. 1: Discriminatory pyramid and possible solutions for inclusiveness in science.

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Acknowledgements

We thank L. P. Salles, B. Pascal, R. Santos-Silva, C. Birrer, and A. Campos for their comments and insights during the discussion that gave rise to this manuscript. This study was partially financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (Capes) - Finance Code 001.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Tábata Cordeiro, Tatiana Emmerich, Juliana Hipólito, Caren Queiroz Souza, Erilda Sousa, Alianna Cardoso Vançan, Luciana Leite.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kunhã Asé Network of Women in Science, Salvador, Brazil

    Luisa Maria Diele-Viegas, Tábata Elise Ferreira Cordeiro, Juliana Hipólito, Caren Queiroz-Souza, Erilda Sousa & Luciana Leite

  2. Biology Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA

    Luisa Maria Diele-Viegas

  3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Comparada, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

    Tábata Elise Ferreira Cordeiro

  4. Programa de Pós graduação em Direito, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Tatiana Emmerich

  5. Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil

    Juliana Hipólito

  6. National Institute of Science and Technology in Inter and Transdisciplinary Studies in Ecology and Evolution - INCT IN- TREE, Salvador, Brazil

    Juliana Hipólito & Caren Queiroz-Souza

  7. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil

    Caren Queiroz-Souza & Luciana Leite

  8. Universidade Federal do Pará, Altamira, Brazil

    Erilda Sousa

  9. Instituto de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Programa de Pós-graduação em Filosofia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil

    Alianna Cardoso Vançan

  10. Faculdade de Ciências Jurídicas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Direito, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Brazil

    Alianna Cardoso Vançan

  11. 500 Mulheres Cientistas Cuiabá, 500 Women in Science, Cuiabá, Brazil

    Alianna Cardoso Vançan

  12. School of Psychological Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

    Luciana Leite

Authors
  1. Luisa Maria Diele-Viegas
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  2. Tábata Elise Ferreira Cordeiro
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  3. Tatiana Emmerich
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  4. Juliana Hipólito
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  5. Caren Queiroz-Souza
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  6. Erilda Sousa
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  7. Alianna Cardoso Vançan
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  8. Luciana Leite
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Contributions

L.M.D.-V. and L.L. were responsible for the conceptualization of the ideas. L.M.D.-V., T.C., T.E., J.H., C.Q.S., E.S., A.C.V., and L.L. were equally responsible for the validation and writing of the manuscript. L.M.D.-V. was responsible for the graphic visualization, supervision, and project administration.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luisa Maria Diele-Viegas.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Diele-Viegas, L.M., Cordeiro, T.E.F., Emmerich, T. et al. Potential solutions for discrimination in STEM. Nat Hum Behav 5, 672–674 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01104-w

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