Visible as Minorities, Invisible as Scientists: Chicana STEM Faculty Narratives of Isolation, Challenging Norms, and Institutional Leadership

• In Event: Gender in Higher and Adult Education

Abstract

Currently, Latinas regardless of race or ethnicity represent less than 3% of STEM doctoral degrees. Once in academia they are unlikely to advance to senior university professorial and leadership ranks. Currently, we lack accurate measures truly capturing the percentages of Chicana women in academia. Although research exists on the experience of faculty of color, scant research has been conducted on the career paths of Latina STEM, much less a focus on Chicana scholars and the challenges they face in academia. This interdisciplinary study, aimed at investigating the educational paths of Latina STEM faculty across the nation through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Findings point to the importance of Latina positionality in the academy and transformational career pathways as a result of mentorship.

Authors

• Lisceth Brazil - Cruz, University of California - Davis

• Yvette Flores, UC Davis