Abstract
Underrepresented minority (URM) faculty face challenges in many domains of academia, from university admissions to grant applications. We examine whether this translates to promotion and tenure (P&T) decisions. Data from five US universities on 1,571 faculty members' P&T decisions show that URM faculty received 7% more negative votes and were 44% less likely to receive unanimous votes from P&T committees. A double standard in how scholarly productivity is rewarded is also observed, with below-average h-indexes being judged more harshly for URM faculty than for non-URM faculty. This relationship is amplified for faculty with intersectional backgrounds, especially URM women. The differential treatment of URM women was mitigated when external reviewers highlighted candidates' scholarship more in their review letters. In sum, the results support the double standard hypothesis and provide evidence that different outcomes in P&T decision-making processes contribute to the sustained underrepresentation of URM faculty in tenured faculty positions.
Recommended Citation
T. Masters-Waage and C. Spitzmueller and E. Edema-Sillo and A. St. Aubin and M. Penn-Marshall and E. Henderson and P. Lindner and C. Werner and T. Rizzuto and J. Madera, "Underrepresented Minority Faculty in the USA Face a Double Standard in Promotion and Tenure Decisions," Nature Human Behaviour, vol. 8, no. 11, pp. 2107 - 2118, Nature Research, Nov 2024.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01977-7
Department(s)
Engineering Management and Systems Engineering
Publication Status
Open Access
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2397-3374
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2025 Nature Research, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Nov 2024
PubMed ID
39367060
Comments
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Grant 1409928