LGBTQ @NASA: Workplace Climates, Employee Resource Groups, and Professional Credibility at the Space Agency

• In Event: 378 - Regular Session. Sociology of Science

Abstract

Decades of sociological research has examined processes of gender and racial/ethnic inequality in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professions, but no such study exists documenting similar processes affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ)-identifying professionals in STEM. Although LGBTQ persons may face analogous experiences of discrimination and bias, they face a different kind if difference: it is still legal in some contexts to discriminate against LGBTQ employees and LGBTQ identity is often hidden. To begin to address this gap in the literature, we conducted a survey and interview-based study of LGBTQ professionals at two NASA space flight centers. We pay particular attention to organizational- and interactional-level mechanisms that disadvantage LGBTQ professionals. This paper describes results from our preliminary findings: although upper management at NASA is generally supportive of LGBTQ inclusion, this does not necessarily extend to interactional-level environments at each center: LGBTQ professionals encounter biased coworkers and pressures to pass and cover. Even though both NASA centers are under the same federal anti-discrimination legislation and central agency bureaucracy, they differ in the employee programs: NASA-South has a grassroots LGBTQ Employee Resource Group (ERG), while NASA-East has an Advisory Board. Although the ERG and the Advisory Board offer some LGBTQ-related events and are symbols of managerial commitment to inclusion, we argue that NASA-South is able to foster a generally more inclusive environment due to the ERG. We end by discussing the implications of these findings for STEM inequality literature and LGBTQ workplace equality more broadly.

Authors

• Erin A. Cech, Rice University

• Tom J. Waidzunas, Temple University