RISE Center Seminars on Inclusion - Erin Cech

Erin Cech, University of Michigan

Erin Cech, University of Michigan

"Systemic disadvantages for LGBTQ professionals in STEM"

Researchers have documented race and gender bias in STEM for decades, but there has been little parallel examination of LGBTQ status as an axis of inequality. How do LGBTQ-identifying STEM professionals fare in STEM? Drawing on the NSF-funded STEM Inclusion Study data of over 25,000 STEM workers, Dr. Cech will discuss her recent study of LGBTQ inequality among STEM professionals. Her research is the first to document persistent and systemic disadvantages for LGBTQ STEM professionals, compared to their non-LGBTQ peers and she documents these disadvantages along numerous dimensions: day-to-day workplace experiences, career limitations, professional devaluation, marginalization and harassment, turnover intentions and health and wellness issues. This research reveals LGBTQ status as a clear axis of inequality in STEM and underscores the need for organizational and cultural shifts to address these patterns.

About the series:
A call to action: Striving toward inclusion in academic biology
An initiative sponsored by the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) focused on promoting awareness, understanding and committment to change academic biology environments to be more inclusive. 
Series Flyer

Sara Brownell
Research for Inclusive STEM Education Center
Sara.Brownell@asu.edu
https://sols.asu.edu
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Online