The time tax put on scientists of colour

Abstract

A s universities examine faculty diversity amid global protests against institutional racism, they might want to consider that many Black and minority-ethnic academics are routinely asked to undertake extra, uncompensated work to address the issue at their institutions. The phenomenon is known as 'cultural taxation', a term coined in 1994 by Amado Padilla 1 , a psychology researcher at Stanford University in California. Academics from minority ethnic groups are targeted to serve on diversity, equity and inclusivity committees, as mentors to junior colleagues from minority ethnic groups and to participate in other schemes that take time away from their research 2. This burden falls disproportionately on their shoulders because there are so few of them on campus. According to 2020 data from the UK Higher Education Statistics Agency, just 140 (0.7%) of 21,000 UK academics with the rank of professor are Black, yet Black people comprise 3% of the population. In the United States, Black academics account for 6% of all faculty members, yet Black people represent 13% of the population. Cultural taxation could be a reason why African American scientists are 10% less likely than their white colleagues to receive funding from the US National Institutes of Health. According to a 2018 study 3 , the most important reasons for this disparity were the number of publications to their name and the impact factors of the journals in which they publish.

Academic careers and the COVID-19 pandemic: Reversing the tide

“…This service burden for URM researchers at academic medical centers is known as the "minority tax" (24). Somewhat ironically at the expense of their other career goals, URM researchers have experienced an increase in this "tax" in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, as many have felt compelled or been asked to take on roles related to helping direct the responses of their institutions to calls for increased diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism (25,26). URM women researchers are especially affected by the minority tax, because they experience an even greater obligation to fulfill service roles (27).…”

The burden of service for faculty of color to achieve diversity and inclusion: the minority tax

“…Without doubt, the time and energy I committed to this service detracted from my scientific efforts. This uncompensated duty, deemed not important for promotion and tenure, is referred to as the “minority tax.” The minority tax (or cultural tax) is the burden of extra responsibilities placed on faculty of color to achieve diversity and inclusion and contributes to attrition and impedes academic promotion ( Rodriguez et al , 2015 ; Gewin, 2020 ). Although I experienced great personal satisfaction from this work, I constantly worried that my research would suffer and that my colleagues would question my credibility and commitment to science.…”

Elevate, don’t assimilate, to revolutionize the experience of scientists who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour

“…This framework casts minoritized ethnic groups through a majority perspective and glosses over BIPOC issues by assuming that educational status alone conveys credibility. Although the framework may seem plausible, it does not account for the minority inclusion tax stigma 11 . Academic privilege comes at a price for BIPOC and is offset by oppression 12 .…”