New study tests three-step intervention to increase faculty gender diversity in STEM
- Date:
- December 21, 2015
- Source:
- Oxford University Press USA
- Summary:
- Workforce homogeneity limits creativity, discovery, and job satisfaction; nonetheless, eighty-one percent of US science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) university faculty members are men. The relative dearth of women in the field is a long-recognized problem -- but it's one that may be on its way to a solution.
- Share:
Workforce homogeneity limits creativity, discovery, and job satisfaction; nonetheless, eighty-one percent of US science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) university faculty members are men.
The relative dearth of women in the field is a long-recognized problem--but it's one that may be on its way to a solution.
Using a three-step intervention derived from self-determination theory, an interdisciplinary team from Montana State University demonstrated a low-cost way to improve gender diversity in STEM-faculty hiring.
The results were impressive, with search committees in the intervention group 6.3 times more likely to make an offer to a woman candidate. Although the focus was on increasing women faculty within STEM, the intervention can be adapted to other scientific and academic communities to advance diversity along any dimension.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Oxford University Press USA. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Jessi L. Smith, Ian M. Handley, Alexander V. Zale, Sara Rushing, Martha A. Potvin. Now Hiring! Empirically Testing a Three-Step Intervention to Increase Faculty Gender Diversity in STEM: Figure 1.. BioScience, 2015; 65 (11): 1084 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biv138
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