Female Dominated? Male Monopolies in the Social Science PhD Seminar

Abstract

Abstract:"Chilly climate," as a concept, has been hugely influential in education studies. However, studies of people of color, genderqueer folx, men, and non-STEM graduate programs have been few and far between within this body of literature. So, too, have been interventions to address inhospitable learning environments at the collegiate level. In this paper, we advance a new analytic to study the experiences of people in the aforementioned populations: "intersectional spectrum of experience." We surveyed twenty-four graduate students across racial/ethnic and gender identities in two seminars in a "female-dominated" discipline. We found wide variability in perceptions of classroom equity by race and gender identity; men were least likely to attest to male superiority, and none of the men found the intervention to improve classroom equity helpful. We argue that "intersectional spectrum of experience" speaks to the ways in which gender and racial identity intersect to create a range of (un)ease in the classroom.