Saturday, December 1, 2007

Implicit gender and ethnic biases harm science and technology

...
"Implicit bias, rather than explicit prejudice, is a major barrier to women's advancement in senior faculty positions at the nation's universities. American science and technology will not reach its full potential unless active efforts are made to address bias and other problems, witnesses concluded at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Research and Science Education."
...
"[National Science Foundation] Deputy Director Kathie Olsen described 'significant challenges' the NSF has found in faculty recruitment and retention, and the general climate in academic science and engineering fields. Among these challenges are the importance of well-established networks, implicit bias, the feeling of isolation, and unclear policies for hiring, tenure and promotion."
...
"Freeman Hrabowski, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County...outlined steps his university has taken to support and advance women and underrepresented minority students.... Among them are human resource policies, campus-wide discussions, and targeted mentoring programs. He spoke of the need to provide a 'culture of inclusion' and a 'community of support'...."

The report includes references to a number of studies detailing the barriers to career advancement, as well as descriptions of effective solutions. Cited was a 2006 report by a committee of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine which found in part:
  • "[There is] no clear evidence that men are biologically advantaged in learning and performing mathematics and science."
  • "[T]he community needs to work together, across departments, through professional societies, and with funders and federal agencies to bring about gender equity.... Our nation's future depends on it."

http://www.aip.org/fyi/2007/117.html
http://www.aip.org/fyi/2006/118.html
http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/reports/women05.pdf

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