Department
Psychological Science
Major
Biological Sciences
Research Advisor
Cundiff, Jessica
Advisor's Department
Psychological Science
Abstract
In STEM, women face bias that lowers their sense of belonging, identity safety, and self-esteem. These biases often occur in daily interactions with male peers in STEM, such as subtly sexist comments that doubt women's competence in STEM. A previous study that we conduction titles "Effects of Ally Confrontation on Target Outcomes" tested whether a subtly sexist comment that was confronted by a male ally would help increase women's sense of belonging, identity safety, and self-esteem relative to when a male bystander remained silent and did not confront the comment. We found that confrontation does help women feel better than silence, suggesting that silence is harmful. But does it matter who is silent? Which silence is most harmful? In this study, we will conduct an experiment focusing on Black women in STEM to see whether the gender and/or race of the bystander is a factor in determining which silence is most harmful. This research is interdisciplinary by integrating social psychology, intersectionality, feminist theory, and real-world STEM experiences to understand that may contribute to gender and racial gaps in STEM contexts. The results of this study have broader implications for interventions targeted at confronting bias, for understanding factors that contribute to identity safety for marginalized groups in STEM, and for inspiring future research directions.
Biography
Sophie Firle is a sophomore in Biological Sciences from Festus, MO. She has participated in the First Year Research Program, Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experiences, and won first place in the Social Sciences Poster category in the Undergraduate Research Conference 2023 with her partner Gemma Flores-Olivas.
Research Category
Sciences
Presentation Type
OURE Fellows Proposal Oral Applicant
Document Type
Presentation
Location
Havener Center - Carver Room
Presentation Date
10 April 2024, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Included in
Silent bystanders facing bias. is silence always harmful
Havener Center - Carver Room
In STEM, women face bias that lowers their sense of belonging, identity safety, and self-esteem. These biases often occur in daily interactions with male peers in STEM, such as subtly sexist comments that doubt women's competence in STEM. A previous study that we conduction titles "Effects of Ally Confrontation on Target Outcomes" tested whether a subtly sexist comment that was confronted by a male ally would help increase women's sense of belonging, identity safety, and self-esteem relative to when a male bystander remained silent and did not confront the comment. We found that confrontation does help women feel better than silence, suggesting that silence is harmful. But does it matter who is silent? Which silence is most harmful? In this study, we will conduct an experiment focusing on Black women in STEM to see whether the gender and/or race of the bystander is a factor in determining which silence is most harmful. This research is interdisciplinary by integrating social psychology, intersectionality, feminist theory, and real-world STEM experiences to understand that may contribute to gender and racial gaps in STEM contexts. The results of this study have broader implications for interventions targeted at confronting bias, for understanding factors that contribute to identity safety for marginalized groups in STEM, and for inspiring future research directions.
