A Justice-Oriented Approach to Supporting Women of Color in Physics Higher Education

• In Event: Pathways to Educational Justice for Students of Color in STEM and Beyond

Abstract

Objectives
The objectives of this paper are to explore the magnitude of women of color’s underrepresentation in physics as a serious equity concern that connects with important historical and contemporary issues of social justice in U.S. education and employment systems (Malcom & Malcom, 2011), and to provide some solutions for a more equitable, inclusive culture. Sharing selected stories of ten women of color in physics over a span of 25 years featured in the book, this paper highlights how race and gender intersect in the lives of women of color, informing their social experiences in physics, and those individual and institutional factors that enable them to overcome barriers to persist.

Method, Data Sources, and Framework
The study draws from a longitudinal qualitative study across 25 years on the lived experiences of ten self-identified women of color in physics; each identified as Black, Latinx/Chicanx, Indigenous, or Filipina American. The original data set was collected in the mid-1990s in the form of ethnographic fieldnotes and interviews at a large, predominantly white research university where participants were undergraduates. Over time, follow-up interviews—a total of 50—and ethnographic visits were conducted. All data were analyzed, and key themes were identified using hybrid coding (Fereday & Muir-Cochrane, 2006) and informed by critical race theory (Delgado & Stefancic, 2012) and intersectionality theory (Crenshaw, 1993). Themes were explored and tested against, and in relation to, one another (Creswell, 2013). Concurrently, in-depth narratives describing phenomena experienced by individuals over time were created to represent critical cases (Yin, 1989).

Results
First, the norms of physics are examined—including the celebration of independence and competitiveness, the high value placed on nonstop work, and the prevailing insistence that physics is an objective space, or a “culture of no culture” (Traweek, 1988, p. 162)—to establish daily practices of belonging and not-belonging. Next, case studies of not-belonging for women of color are explored, including phenomena of invisibility, low expectations by instructors and peers, identity-based harassment, and work-life balance. These women’s navigation and persistence through physics are also examined, including individual strategies such as “letting it slide,” demonstrating superiority, and finding community. Finally, current institutional strategies for providing justice-oriented educational opportunities—for example, financial support to attend STEM equity conferences, and accountability measures placed by funders—are explored.

Scholarly Significance
Little is currently known about the experiences of students of color in physics education; even less is known about women in minoritized racial or ethnic groups, so this book contributes to filling these knowledge gaps. Seeing physics programs through the eyes of women of color challenges the belief that all physics practices are “objective.” This book brings into high relief the structural racism and sexism inherent to how physics is taught and practiced in the U.S. The book concludes with justice-oriented recommendations for increasing belonging and inclusivity, with a focus on large-scale, systemic reforms (as opposed to individual strategies), simultaneously providing accounts of promising practices from successful programs in physics departments and workplaces.

Author

• Maria Ong, TERC