Queer in STEM: Workplace Experiences Reported in a National Survey of LGBTQA Individuals in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Careers

Abstract

A survey of individuals working in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer, or asexual (LGTBQA) was administered online in 2013. Participants completed a 58-item questionnaire to report their professional areas of expertise, levels of education, geographic location, and gender and sexual identities and rated their work and social communities as welcoming or hostile to queer identities. An analysis of 1,427 responses to this survey provided the first broad portrait of this population, and it revealed trends related to workplace practices that can inform efforts to improve queer inclusivity in STEM workplaces.

Queering Engineering: A Critical Analysis of the Gendered Technical/Social Dualism in Engineering and Engineering Education Research

“…In alignment with Faulkner's destabilizing of the technical/social dualism's heterosexist mapping onto heteronormative masculinity/femininity, Yoder and Mattheis hypothesized how more balanced gender representation or "some broader factor of tolerance for non-masculine gender expression" in workplace contexts can contribute to more affirming, supportive experiences for LGBTQA and heterosexual, cis-gendered women in engineering. 11,32 These hypotheses reflect more nuanced considerations of gender at intersections with sexual identity and thus point to a need for future scholarship that explores institutional practices (e.g., hiring processes, undergraduate mentoring initiatives) that promote inclusivity and support for LGBTQ+ populations in engineering careers and higher education.…”

“…14,18,19,29 In addition, this body of scholarship investigated institutional forms of heteronormativity across engineering departments and workplaces with implications for building more inclusive educational and professional opportunities among LGBTQ+ populations. 6,7,32 To document the gendered variation in decisions for pursuing engineering, Holth collected life narratives via interviews with 24 undergraduate engineering students (15 women and 9 men) and 22 engineering graduates working in an information technology consulting company (11 women and 11 men). 18 Holth noted how participants' reflections on their engineering experiences invert the ways in which the technical/social and other dualisms raised by Faulkner are gendered.…”

“…6,7 This corroborated Yoder and Mattheis' findings from an online survey study on the lived experiences of 1427 lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer, and asexual (LGBTQA) individuals working in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. 32 Yoder and Mattheis reported that survey respondents more frequently indicated that their colleagues were unaware of their LGBTQA identities than not being "out" in personal contexts. 32 More than half of respondents identified as being "out" professionally, of which many reported having strong representation of women colleagues and/or support opportunities addressing needs of LGBTQA individuals.…”

“…32 Yoder and Mattheis reported that survey respondents more frequently indicated that their colleagues were unaware of their LGBTQA identities than not being "out" in personal contexts. 32 More than half of respondents identified as being "out" professionally, of which many reported having strong representation of women colleagues and/or support opportunities addressing needs of LGBTQA individuals. In alignment with Faulkner's destabilizing of the technical/social dualism's heterosexist mapping onto heteronormative masculinity/femininity, Yoder and Mattheis hypothesized how more balanced gender representation or "some broader factor of tolerance for non-masculine gender expression" in workplace contexts can contribute to more affirming, supportive experiences for LGBTQA and heterosexual, cis-gendered women in engineering.…”

“…11,12 Only a small subset of this research examines gender issues in relation to underrepresented LGBTQ+ individuals and the complexities of their "boundary work," the negotiations of the heterosexist technical/social dualism with their identities while navigating heteronormatively gendered academic and professional engineering spaces. 6,12,13,32 This paper draws on a review of research that cited Faulkner's 2000 article to critically examine the varied use of the technical/social dualism in exploring engineering as a gendered domain. 11,23 In particular, we adopt Faulkner's three-tiered analytical framework of engineering as a gendered space to document the extent to which the heterosexist mappings of the technical/social dualism have been challenged in extant research.…”