Study Notes on Women of Color in the Academy

Women of Color in the Academy: Navigating Multiple Intersections and Multiple Hierarchies by Mignon R. Moore

Introduction

  • The author expresses discomfort in discussing the struggles faced by women of color, especially black women, in academia.
    • This discomfort stems from the author's own position within systems of advantage and structural disadvantage.
  • The article aims to explore how social inequality is reproduced in the field of sociology, highlighting women's experiences in the American Sociological Association (ASA).
  • Focuses on the intersections of race, gender, and class among women of color faculty.

Purpose of the Discussion

  • The comments made are subjective, rooted in the author's observations rather than generalizable to all women of color faculty.
  • A significant observation is the difficulty women of color experience in gaining recognition for their work, particularly when it highlights marginalized groups, due to gatekeeping by white men in academia.
  • Women of color often perform service roles that go unrecognized, contributing to their professional challenges.

Concept of Double Jeopardy

  • The concept of “double jeopardy” refers to the compounded disadvantages faced by black women due to both race and gender, as established by scholars like Andersen (1988), King (1988), and Kulis and Miller (1988).

Complexity of Intersectionality

  • Intersectionality provides a framework for understanding the multifaceted identities of women of color in academia, recognizing their simultaneous privilege and marginalization.
    • This framework illustrates how positions may evolve over time and allows for distinct articulation of various intersecting factors affecting their academic journeys.

Power Relations and Intersectionality

  • The intersectionality of power influences different aspects of academic experience.
    • Citing Collins and Bilge (2016), the author explains how race and gender intersect to shape opportunities and evaluations of academic work.
  • Power Relations via Their Intersections
    • Rockquemore and Laszloffy (2008) suggest that there are inherent differences in experiences of black and white tenure-track faculty due to their positions in the social hierarchy.
    • These differences manifest during the tenure process, where barriers persist shaped by larger societal inequalities.
  • Ruth Gordon’s Findings
    • Gordon’s research highlights continuing hierarchical structures within legal academia, shaped by race, gender, and class, influencing faculty experiences in hiring, tenure, and departmental expectations (Gordon 2012).

Areas of Disadvantage for Black Women Faculty

  • Five areas where black women faculty feel disadvantaged relative to their white counterparts (Thomas and Hollenshead, 2001):
    1. Organizational Barriers: Greater burden of student mentoring and other tasks, often unrecognized in evaluations.
    2. Colder Institutional Climate: A landscape that devalues their contributions.
    3. Lack of Recognition: Less respect and acknowledgment for their research.
    4. Unwritten Rules: Lack of insight into informal expectations and rules governing university life (Moses, 1997).
    5. Limited Access to Career Support: Fewer opportunities for mentorship from aware and supportive mentors.

Personal Reflection on Navigating Tenure

  • The author reflects on personal experiences between completing a PhD and navigating the tenure process, noting a lack of understanding of necessary structures and knowledge.
    • Engagement in various service activities detracted from focus on research and mentorship necessary for advancement.

Service vs. Mentorship

  • Acknowledging the personal obligation felt by women of color to “lift as we climb,” the author discusses the challenge of balancing service work and career advancement, resulting in missed opportunities for vital mentorship.
  • The lack of mentorship is seen as a systemic issue where predominantly white and male faculty do not connect with women of color in supporting roles (Wilkerson, 1986).

Strategies for Success

  • Overcoming obstacles through self-promotion, quality research, networking, and seeking external mentorship has proven beneficial for the author's career trajectory.
    • Despite disadvantages, study/training and the ability to publish in respected forums aided professional visibility and career advancement.

Marginalization and Scrutiny

  • Faculty of color, especially women, often experience heightened scrutiny in their professional roles, feeling the need to justify their presence and accomplishments in academic spaces (Matthew, 2016; Thomas and Hollenshead, 2001).
  • The micro-level experiences of scrutiny are compounded by the nature of their research choices; focusing on marginalized communities, like black women’s experiences, can lead to less recognition.

Theoretical Framework and Methodology

  • The author emphasizes the importance of using established sociological theories and methodologies to justify the significance of research focusing on marginalized populations.
    • Engaging in traditional frameworks helps reduce biases in research evaluations.

Power Relations Across Domains of Power

  • Collins and Bilge (2016) advocate examining intersections of power across institutions, highlighting that experiences of women of color are not uniform but differentiated based on institutional frameworks and social inequalities.
  • The type of institution affects access to resources and opportunities, leading to different levels of experience for women of color within predominantly white institutions.

Underrepresentation in Academia

  • Data illustrates significant underrepresentation of women of color in academia, especially at higher ranks.
    • For instance, only 12% of sociology faculty across postsecondary institutions are women of color (Curtis, 2015).
    • Discrepancies in representation increase with higher academic rank, leading to nearly invisible status of women of color at full professor levels.

Challenges of Institutional Diversity Initiatives

  • Efforts by the ASA to enhance diversity in leadership roles often face challenges due to disparities in economic resources and professional commitments among faculty from different institutions.
    • Disparities influence attendance at conferences, research opportunities, and overall career advancement.

Conclusion

  • The author concludes that understanding and addressing the unique hierarchies encountered by women of color in academia is essential to improve the landscape of the discipline.
  • Scrutinizing power structures rather than merely attempting to succeed within them is necessary for dismantling prevailing hierarchies.

References

  • Includes various academic articles and books that support and provide context to the findings and narratives discussed in the article, such as:
    • Andersen (1988), Collins & Bilge (2016), and various case studies addressing intersectionality and structural inequalities within academia.