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How Racial, Gendered, and Intersectional Social Comparisons Reveal Inequities That Affect Sense of Belonging in STEM

Bibliographic Data

ID2291997
AuthorsAmanda J Brockman (0000-0003-4512-2143, Vanderbilt University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume91
Issue4
Pages751-777
Publication date2021-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Inquiry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0038-0245 • E-ISSN: 1475-682X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/soin.12401
OpenAlexW3119822895
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited59

This paper analyses the social-psychological processes of social comparison and relative deprivation with regard to race, gender, and their intersections in STEM higher education through the narratives of 33 Black respondents who described their experiences within engineering and computer science doctoral programs. I use social comparison and relative deprivation, a subsidiary theory of social comparison, as guiding theoretical frameworks. Since the intersections of race and gender are salient, I also incorporate an intersectional framework as an analytical tool. Through data derived from semi-structured interviews, I find that, when describing graduate-school experiences, Black engineering and computer science respondents use social comparisons with regard to race, gender, and their intersections to juxtapose their experiences with those of their peers. Participants described feeling relatively deprived due to inequities resulting from racism and/or sexism and primarily felt that STEM privileged students that were Asian men. Nevertheless, Black men described downward social comparisons with their Black female counterparts, recognizing the sexist culture of STEM. Overall, however, social comparison processes led Black respondents to identify inequities within their Ph.D. programs in engineering and computer science that made them feel as though STEM was not intended for them, but, rather, for their Asian and white male peers who are positioned as belonging

Affect (linguistics) · Feeling · Intersectionality · Narrative · Race (biology) · Racism · Sociology · White (mutation) · Career Development and Diversity · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness · Gender Studies · Higher Education Research Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology

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Unique citing works11
Citations per year2,75
Citation span2022 - 2026 (5)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 11
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