Stigmas in STEM: Women of Color Struggle for Respect in the Workplace

It's no secret that women, particularly women in color, face the brunt of significant bias in their careers. But you'll be shocked to know the extent of it. According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, which included 557 surveys and 67 in-depth interviews from women in science, female scientists find that they constantly have to "prove" themselves to male co-workers. Prejudice fills these labs like a hot, sticky fog, causing women to struggle not only in maintaining respect, but preserving their passions. 

According to this study, there are 5 types of Bias most women  in STEM have in common.

 
1. Prove-It-Again:
People take Women's word for it when they insist that they are competent enough to do their jobs. Not only do they have to prove themselves over and over, but they often need more evidence to prove their points than male colleges.

  2. The Gender-Role Tightrope:
Women can't act too feminine or they won't be respected, but at the same time, they can't be too masculine or they'll be considered "unlikable"

   3.  The Maternal Wall
Women are frequently questioned and expected to start families and, if they do, they are often pressured by co-workers to work less hours so that they can take care of their children.

   4. Tug-of-War
While women generally support each other in the work place, others report that they feel as if they are competing for the "women's spot" in the workplace.

   5. Isolation
This one is specific to women of color, who feel as if engaging with others socially takes away from their authority. In other cases, they find themselves being excluded from things because they think they'll be uncomfortable as the only minority in the group.

In addition to this, many women of color reported people being completely open and expectant to racial stereotypes, one black biologist reported being asked by an administrator if any of her family was "into drugs or in jail" while several Latinas claimed to overhear the stereotype of Hispanics being lazy.  What's even worse, many of these minorities have reported to have been mistaken for janitorial or administrative staff.

This shows the sheer impact of bias. So many assume that making these assumptions is harmless, but the truth is, they hurt. And when people are faced with these comments and assumptions on a day-to-day basis, it goes from being a nuisance to a hostile workplace.Gender and Racial bias is driving women out of a field that we desperately need more people in. It's yet another reason why we must she'd our ignorance and put bias to an end.