Gender and sexual minority PhD students experience epistemic exclusion in STEM

Dados Bibliográficos

ID21739516
AutoresGrace Flores‐roble (0000-0001-7330-7386, The Graduate Center, CUNY, autor correspondente), Grace Flores‐Robles (Department of Psychology City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center New York New York USA), Bryant N Gomez (0009-0004-9123-6082, The Graduate Center, CUNY), Elissia T Franklin (0000-0002-1017-9927, United States Gypsum (United States)), Rachel A Fikslin (0000-0002-1048-0154, Seton Hall University), Rachel Fikslin (Department of Psychology Seton Hall University South Orange New Jersey USA), Kyle Anderson (0000-0002-9223-6998, The Graduate Center, CUNY), Katlyn Lee Mille (0000-0003-1669-4038, Mathematica Policy Research), Katlyn L Milless (Mathematica Princeton New Jersey USA)
Ano2025
Volume25
Fascículo2
Data de publicação2025-08-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoAnalyses of Social Issues and Public Policy (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1529-7489 • E-ISSN: 1530-2415
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/asap.70022
OpenAlexW4413229756
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências citadas74

People with gender minority (e.g., transgender, agender, nonbinary) and sexual minority (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, queer) identities are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In the current research, we examine whether gender and sexual minorities report greater epistemic exclusion (i.e., institutional devaluation of their contributions) and worse academic outcomes compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers. In a survey of 329 PhD students, we find that students who identified as gender and/or sexual minorities were more likely to experience epistemic exclusion, report greater stress in graduate school, and intend to leave their PhD programs (relative to their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts). Importantly, we found this pattern both within and outside of STEM. This research highlights how epistemic exclusion can serve as a barrier to gender and sexual minorities’ success, not only in STEM, but in academia more broadly

Devaluation · Heterosexuality · Homosexuality · Lesbian · Minority stress · Psychoanalysis · Queer · Sexual minority · Sexual orientation · Sociology · Transgender · Career Development and Diversity · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Gender Studies · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology