Bringing the Men Back In: Catalyzing Gender Equality at Universities Through Advocates & Allies

Kristen Myers; Stephanie George; Allison S. Danell; Andrew T.  Morehead

doi:10.6092/issn.1971-8853/16914

Authors

Kristen Myers Department of Sociology, East Carolina University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3516-2929

Kristen Myers is a Professor of Sociology and, since 2019, Chair of the Department of Sociology at East Carolina University. She earned her PhD from North Carolina State University in 1996. She also served as Director of the Center for the Study of Women, Gender & Sexuality at Northern Illinois University, where she was sociology faculty from 1996-2019. Myers is an award-winning instructor. She leads interdisciplinary research teams. She is primarily a qualitative methodologist, studying intersectional inequalities in various social contexts including research on the ways that people reproduce racism in their everyday conversations; hyperheterosexuality among primary school children; factors that funnel students into the Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM) pipeline; and expressions of masculinity among unemployed men. She is co-PI on a National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant at ECU (THRIVE@ECU), which is designed to increase equity for women faculty in STEM. Most recently, she is studying sexual consent practices among college students. She has a forthcoming book with Lexington Press.
Stephanie George Department of Engineering, East Carolina University https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7368-8915

Stephanie George is an Associate Professor of Engineering at East Carolina University (ECU). In 2008, she received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech and Emory University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgia Tech prior to joining ECU in 2010. Dr. George’s research applies engineering frameworks to address cardiovascular problems with particular emphasis on computational modeling and image processing. She served as PI for three NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site awards and Co-PI for an NSF ADVANCE Adaptation award, and has been recognized for her achievements in integrating research, education and equity. She received ECU’s 2017 Scholar-Teacher Award and was selected to participate in the Diversity and Equity Leadership Program (ECU), BRIDGES Academic Leadership for Women (UNC System), and the BB&T Active Learning and Leadership Fellowship program (ECU).
Allison S. Danell Department of Chemistry, East Carolina University https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0242-7558

Allison S. Danell is a Professor of Chemistry and, since 2020, is also Dean of the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences at East Carolina University (ECU). She received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Rowland Institute at Harvard University in 2004, before joining ECU’s faculty that same year. Danell is an analytical chemist with expertise in gas phase ion chemistry and dissociation energetics, focused on using mass spectrometry to identify and characterize biomolecules (peptides, oligonucleotides, and fatty acids) and their complexes. She is an award-winning professor and advisor focused on student success through consistent classroom engagement, encouraging inquiry and curiosity, and facilitating research, internship, and other professional development activities. As Dean of the largest college on ECU’s campus, Danell is excited to support and promote the education, research, creativity, and workforce development opportunities afforded by the arts and sciences. She boldly acts to create partnerships with internal and external constituents to develop culturally aware communicators and skilled leaders to foster intellectual and economic success of the college, university, and region. Danell serves as a Principal Investigator for the NSF Advance THRIVE grant supporting this work.
Andrew T. Morehead Department of Chemistry, East Carolina University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7812-4773

Andrew T. Morehead Jr. is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at East Carolina University (ECU). He received his PhD in Chemistry from Duke University in 1996, and, following a two-year National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship at the California Institute of Technology, began his academic career at the University of Maryland-College Park. He moved to ECU in 2003, and has been Chair since 2015. His research interests revolve around asymmetric catalysis, particularly C-H activation, as applied to the synthesis of pharmacologically relevant building blocks. An award winning teacher and a former Chair of the Faculty at ECU, he is passionate about leadership development and mentoring. During his time as Chair, the department’s external research expenditures have increased over an order of magnitude and he has successfully guided three Assistant Professors and seven Associate Professors through the tenure/promotion process. He has served as Lead Advocate for the “Allies and Advocates” group at ECU since its inception.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1971-8853/16914

Keywords:

Women in STEM, Gender structure, Allyship, Structural change, Universities

Abstract

The United States’ National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE program awards funding to universities to improve gender equality in the faculty ranks in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Our team at East Carolina University is using our award to educate men in the university about implicit and explicit gender bias and how they can and should use their power to help disrupt these systems. The program, adapted from other universities with past NSF ADVANCE funding, is in its infancy at our university, but there are initial signs of progress. This essay analyzes early data, grounded in sociological theories of gender so as to understand and make progress on structural change in our academic institution. The timeline for action and initial outcomes, including three specific scenarios, are presented. A discussion regarding the impact of the program and how it can be expanded and strengthened is also presented. We reflect on gendered tensions, and explore the limitations of “bringing men in” to correct structural power imbalances that have disproportionately benefitted them.

References

Acker, J. (1990). Hierarchies, Jobs, and Bodies: a Theory of Gendered Organizations. Gender & Society, 4(2), 139–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124390004002002

Anicha, C.L., Burnett, A., & Bilen-Green, C. (2015). Men Faculty Gender-equity Advocates: A Qualitative Analysis of Theory and Praxis. Journal of Men's Studies, 23(1), 21–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1060826514561974

Anicha, C.L., Bilen-Green, C., Burnett, A., Froelich, K., & Holbrook, S. (2017). Institutional Transformation: Toward a Diversity-Positive Campus Culture. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 23(2), 147–167. https://doi.org/10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2017017021

Arnold, N.W., Crawford, E.R., & Khalifa M. (2016). Psychological Heuristics and Faculty of Color: Racial Battle Fatigue and Tenure/Promotion. The Journal of Higher Education, 87(6), 890–919. https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2016.0033

Bird, S.R. (2011). Unsettling Universities’ Incongruous, Gendered Bureaucratic Structures: A Case-study Approach. Gender, Work & Organization, 18(2), 202–230. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2009.00510.x

Bruning, M., Bystydzienski, J., & Eisenhart, M. (2015). Intersectionality as a Framework for Understanding Diverse Young Women’s Commitment to Engineering. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 21, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2014007345

Bystydzienski, J.M., & Bird, S.R. (Eds.). (2006). Removing Barriers: Women in Academic Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Cabrera, N.L., Matias, C.E., & Montoya, R. (2017). Activism or Slacktivism? The Potential and Pitfalls of Social Media in Contemporary Student Activism. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 10(4), 400–415. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000061

Carlone, H., & Johnson, A. (2007). Understanding the Science Experiences of Successful Women of Color: Science Identity as an Analytic Lens. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(8), 474–488. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20237

Cech, E., & Blair-Loy, M. (2010). Perceiving Glass Ceilings? Meritocratic versus Structural Explanations of Gender Inequality among Women in Science and Technology. Social Problems, 57(3), 371–397. https://doi.org/10.1525/sp.2010.57.3.371

Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing Grounded Theory (2^nd ed.). London: Sage Publications.

Collins, P.H. (2022). Black Feminist Thought, 30^th Anniversary Edition. Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. New York, NY: Routledge.

Connell, R.W. (1987). Gender and Power: Society, the Person and Sexual Politics. Redwood City, California: Stanford University Press.

Connell, R.W. (1995). Masculinities. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Connell, R.W., & Messerschmidt, J.W. (2005). Hegemonic Masculinity. Rethinking the Concept. Gender & Society, 19(6), 829–859. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243205278639

Crenshaw, K.W. (2017). On Intersectionality: Essential Writings. New York, NY: The New Press.

Davis, S., Amelink, C., Hirt, J., & Miyazaki, Y. (2012). Women’s Educational Opportunities: Factors that Influence their Graduate School Aspirations. NASPA Journal about Women in Higher Education, 5, 141–165. https://doi.org/10.1515/njawhe-2012-1111

DeGennaro, D., & Piscopo, G. (2023). Pinkwashing and Mansplaining: Individual and Organizational Experiences of Gender Inequality at Work during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Culture and Organization, 29(4), 298–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759551.2023.2176501

Dunlap, S.T., & Barth, J.M. (2023). Career Identities and Gender-STEM Stereotypes: When and Why Implicit Gender-STEM Associations Emerge and How they Affect Women’s College Major Choice. Sex Roles, 89, 19–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-023-01381-x

England, P., Farkas, G., Kilbourne, B.S., & Dou, T. (1988). Explaining Occupational Sex Segregation and Wages: Findings from a Model with Fixed Effects. American Sociological Review, 53(4), 544–558. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095848

Gaubatz, J.A., & Ensminger, D.C. (2017). Department Chairs as Change Agents: Leading Change in Resistant Environments. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 45(1), 141–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143215587307

Giddens, A. (1984). The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Kalev, A., Dobbin, F., & Kelly, E. (2006). Best Practices or Best Guesses? Assessing the Efficacy of Corporate Affirmative Action and Diversity Policies. American Sociological Review, 71(4), 589–617. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240607100404

Laursen, S., & Austin, A.E. (2020). Building Gender Equity in the Academy: Institutional Strategies for Change. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. https://doi.org/10.1353/book.78724

Myers, K. (2018). Gendered interactions in school. In B. Risman, C. Froyum, & W. Scarborough (Eds.), Handbook of the Sociology of Gender (pp. 199–214). New York, NY: Springer Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76333-0_15

Myers, K., Gallaher, C. & McCarragher, S. (2019). STEMinism. Journal of Gender Studies, 28(6), 648–660. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2019.1584744

NCSES-National Centre for Science and Engineering Statistics (2021). Report on Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering. Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf21321/report/

NCSES-National Centre for Science and Engineering Statistics (2023). Report on Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities. Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23315/report/

Perez, C.C. (2019). Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. New York: Abrams.

Puzio, A., & Valshtein, T. (2022). Gender Segregation in Culturally Feminized Work: Theory and Evidence of Boys’ Capacity for Care. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 23(3), 271–284. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000397

Reskin, B. (1988). Bringing the Men Back in. Sex Differentiation and the Devaluation of Women’s Work. Gender & Society, 2(1), 58–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124388002001005

Reskin, B., McBrier, D., & Kmec, J. (1999). The Determinants and Consequences of Workplace Sex and Race Composition. Annual Review of Sociology, 25, 335–361. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.25.1.335

Riegle-Crumb, C., & Humphries, M. (2012). Exploring Bias in Math Teachers’ Perceptions of Students’ Ability by Gender and Race/Ethnicity. Gender & Society, 26(2), 290–322. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243211434614

Risman, B.J. (2004). Gender As a Social Structure: Theory Wrestling with Activism. Gender & Society, 18(4), 429–450. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243204265349

Risman, B.J. (2018). Gender Matters: Bringing in a Gender Structure Analysis. Sociologica, 12(3), 67–74. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1971-8853/9087

Risman, B.J., & Davis, G. (2013). From Sex Roles to Gender Structure. Current Sociology, 61(5–6), 733–755. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392113479315

Risman, B., Myers, K., & Sin, R. (2018). (Re)turning to Gender as a Social Structure. In J. Messerschmidt, P. Martin, M. Messner, & R. Connell (Eds.), Gender Reckonings: New Social Theory and Research (pp. 277–296). New York, NY: NYU Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199324385.003.0002

Rosser, S.V. (2004). Using POWRE to ADVANCE: Institutional Barriers Identified by Women Scientists and Engineers. NWSA Journal, 16(1), 50–78. https://doi.org/10.2979/NWS.2004.16.1.50

Schrock, D., & Schwalbe, M. (2009). Men, Masculinity, and Manhood Acts. Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 277–295. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-070308-115933

Seron, C., Silbey, S., Cech, E., & Rubineau, B. (2018). “I am not a Feminist, But…:” Hegemony of a Meritocratic Ideology and the Limits of Critique among Women in Engineering. Work and Occupations, 45(2), 131–167. https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888418759774

Shattuck, S., & Cheney, I. (2020). Picture a Scientist. New York, NY: An Uprising Production (Executive producer: A. Brand).

Spanierman, L.B., & Smith, L. (2017). Roles and Responsibilities of White Allies: Implications for Research, Teaching, and Practice. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(5), 606–617. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017717712

Smith, L., Kashubeck-West, S., Payton, G., & Adams, E. (2017). White Professors Teaching About Racism: Challenges and Rewards. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(5), 651–668. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017717705

Stainback, K., & Tomaskovic-Devey, D. (2009). Intersections of Power and Privilege: Long-Term Trends in Managerial Representation. American Sociological Review, 74(5), 800–820. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240907400506

Stuhlmacher, A.F., & Linnabery, E. (2013). Gender and Negotiation: A Social Role Analysis. In M. Olekalns & W. Adair (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Negotiation (pp. 221–248). London: Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781005903.00018

Thébaud, S., & Charles, M. (2018). Segregation, Stereotypes, and STEM. Social Sciences, 7(7), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7070111

West, C., & Zimmerman, D. (1987). Doing Gender. Gender & Society, 1(2), 125–151. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243287001002002

Bringing the Men Back In: Catalyzing Gender Equality at Universities Through Advocates & Allies

Authors

DOI:

Keywords:

Abstract

References

Downloads

Published

How to Cite

Issue

Section

License

Information

Make a Submission

Current Issue