A new report by researchers at the University of California’s Hastings College of Law in San Francisco find that women in STEM fields continue to face a high degree of gender bias. The study found that this is particularly true for women of color.
Of the 60 women of color in STEM fields, all 60 women stated that they had been subjected to some sort of gender bias. More than a third said they were victims of sexual harassment.
More than three quarters of Black women surveyed said that they felt that they had to do more than other women to demonstrate that they were competent for the tasks at hand. In having to prove their competence to others, most of the Black women stated that race was more of a barrier than gender.
More than three quarters of women in STEM fields said that they received support from other women in their field. But only slightly more than half of Black women thought they were supported by other women.
Some 37 percent of White women reported being sexually harassed at work, compared to 12.5 percent of Black women.
The full report, Double Jeopardy: Gender Bias Against Women of Color in Science, can be downloaded by clicking here.
