By Laurel White
Black women pursuing undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) create and rely on dynamic social networks in order to persist and overcome barriers in their education, according to a new study from UW–Madison researchers.
Only 2.5% of all STEM jobs nationwide are held by Black women, according to data published in 2017 by the National Science Foundation. For years, researchers have delved into the reasons behind this disparity, including previous studies that have shown Black students are more likely to shift away from an initial academic interest in STEM than their white peers.
The new study from UW–Madison School of Education researchers, published in the fall 2023 issue of The Review of Higher Education, sought to shed light on how relationships and community support success for Black women as they pursue education in STEM fields. The study was co-authored by recent Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis doctoral graduate Paris Wicker, professor Rachelle Winkle-Wagner, and doctoral student Imani Barnes. Wicker is now an incoming assistant professor at the University at Buffalo. Dorian L. McCoy, an associate professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, also co-authored the study.
The authors said their work used a critical narrative approach to explore how strong relationships at Spelman College — a private, historically Black, women’s liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia — helped Black women thrive in STEM degree programs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and beyond.
One of their key findings was pointing out the power of students’ families being connected to campus or campus actors.
“It was not simply that the Black women alumnae identified multiple forms of support, but that the alumnae described ways that the supporters were linked to their academic program,” they wrote.
The authors also pointed out that while their analysis focused on HBCU environments, the concepts uncovered should be considered widely applicable across all types of institutions seeking to support Black women in STEM fields.
“Predominantly White campuses could undoubtedly adapt the idea of finding ways to connect various parts of a support network,” the authors wrote.
They also note that, importantly, their study moves away from a deficit-focused depiction of students that depicts them as lacking agency and waiting for others to initiate support. Instead, the study demonstrated the women’s agency in identifying, creating, and managing crucial social relationships that helped them thrive in an academic setting.
Winkle-Wagner, Wicker, and Barnes were all also involved in a UW–Madison study funded by the Spencer Foundation that examines how racial stress within higher education relates to health outcomes for Black women in academia.
Read the full article, “A Web of Support: A Critical Narrative Analysis of Black Women’s Relationships in STEM Disciplines,” here.