Microaggressions

When discussing the barriers women in STEM fields face, or just generally women in a patriarchal society, it’s easy to focus on the glaring acts of misogyny, such as times and areas when women were and are not allowed an education. Of course, these are the undeniable effects of sexism that must be addressed. However, there are less discenerable actions, ones which can be more difficult to pinpoint as misogyny, that happen everyday; small remarks that normalize the patriarchy, allowing this bias in STEM fields, and against women as a whole, to endure, even in more progressive places that have had legal gender equality for some time, (arguably) such as the United States. A microaggression is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a “a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group.” 

In the STEM workforce and academia, it is often subconsciously perpetuated that women do not deserve the same place as men, if any place at all, through microaggressions. Although microaggressions often take form of sly comments, or generally covert actions, they are still forms of discrimination, and over time, they quietly create a shield around the conspicuous forms of discrimination that are the conspicuous problems that need tackling. Microaggressions are both manifestations of, and the foundation of, larger issues such as the pay gap. The internalization of microaggressions is what creates the unwillingness for society to change, because certain thought processes are perceived as completely normal, and therefore people become alarmed and defensive when they are challenged. By raising awareness around what microaggressions are, how they can be extremely damaging, how to identify them, and how to avoid them, more progress can be made in creating true gender equality in STEM fields. And as a quick note, only gendered microaggressions will be addressed, but microaggressions can be toward any minority group, such as racial minorities, and these are also huge issues in STEM fields that often intersect with misogyny. There should be more education on this topic, as well as openness to discussing it—microaggressions are very rarely intentional, and by creating an environment in which people feel comfortable pointing out possible microaggressions is essential to eliminating them.

Different types of microaggressions against women in STEM include:

• Perceived incompetence. Women pursuing STEM careers are often perceived as less competent than their male counterparts, despite no actual intellectual differences. For example, in STEM settings:
  • In groups, women are often spoken over, and their ideas are valued less than those of the men around them, because it is assumed that they don’t know what they’re talking about. This could mean that in classrooms, girls learning STEM subjects are less likely to to be listened to when they offer a solution; similarly, in work meetings, womens’ ideas are often pushed aside for mens’ ideas, even if they are equally as good as, or better than, the mens’ ideas.
  • Students are less likely to approach female professors for technical problems; the more technological aspects of a subject are seen as fit for a man.
  • Comments such as, “You’re really good at math for a girl.” 
  • In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, STEM professors were less likely to hire a “Jennifer” for a position than a “John,” despite the applications being identical. “John” was also offered more money.
• Lack of representation and the normalization of it. Lack of representation is one of the core issues that women in STEM face, but it can often take form in ways that people dismiss as something that is not a problem. When men are the majority of, if not the only, people portrayed as scientists, technicians, engineers, and mathematicians, a message is conveyed—women do not have a place in these things.  For example:
  • How few women have gained recognition for their work in STEM, such as the lack of women that have won Nobel prizes in science, and the astonishing and horrifying number of accomplishments by women in STEM fields that were credited to men.
  • When asked to draw a mathematician or scientist, girls were twice as likely to draw men instead of women, whereas boys almost always drew men.
  • Female scientists have typically been written out of and ignored by history.
  • The general shock and surprise when a girl or woman indicates that she is interested in or knowledgeable about STEM fields.

Of course, there are more examples, but these are some of the most common ones. Through these subconscious, mundane actions, women are pushed away and held back from STEM fields. Can you think of any more microaggressions?