Wage Disparities in the Academy: Women of Color Faculty in Engineering Departments

• In Event: 61.071 - Sheraton Roundtable Session 10 - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 61.071-3 - Gendered Perspectives on Faculty

Abstract

Wage disparities in the academy persist and intensify due to perceptions of ability with regard to race and gender at multiple levels (e.g. individual, discipline). Through qualitative interviews with 28 Women of Color (WOC) in the academy, we examine perceptions of wage disparities in STEM disciplines. Analyses using critical race feminism reveal that 1) Pay in disciplines perceived as male-dominated is higher due to the devaluing of feminized professions. 2) Even if the starting salary is the same for women and men, often the pay gap widens over time. This research is important because it examines the intersection of race, gender, and SES of WOC faculty and its inequitable wage consequences.

Authors

• Monica L Miles, Vanderbilt University

• Meseret Hailu, The Ohio State University

• Ruth Boyajian

• Amanda J Brockman, Vanderbilt University

• Ebony Omotola McGee, Vanderbilt Peabody College

• Monica F. Cox, The Ohio State University - Columbus

• Joyce Main, Purdue University