As part of the recently completed Student Experiences in STEM project (SESTEM), Dr. Billy Wong (Associate Professor in Widening Participation, University of Reading) and his team explored inequalities within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

Their latest paper, entitled ‘Is science, technology, engineering and mathematics in higher education sexist and racist? All surface, no substance’, was led by SESTEM researcher Reham ElMorally, who is now a Teaching & Learning Project Officer in the University of Reading’s School of Agriculture, Policy and Development (SAPD).

The paper discusses issues of racism and sexism in STEM degrees and explores the themes of microaggression, attitudes towards affirmative action and positive discrimination, and how policies can mediate systemic injustices through representation. The paper unpacks these intersecting effects on students’ potential career opportunities in the capitalist labour market.

Their open-access article can be found here. For more information on Dr. Wong’s research, visit his staff profile page here. You can also follow him on Twitter here.

 

Reference

ElMorally, R., Wong, B., & Copsey-Blake, M. (2022). Is science, technology, engineering and mathematics in higher education sexist and racist? All surface, no substance. Equity in Education & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F27526461221105591