Web Content Analysis of University Forestry and Related Natural Resources Landing Webpages in the United States in Relation to Student and Faculty Diversity

Abstract

Under-representation of minorities and women in natural resources (NR)-related fields is common, both as students and as professionals. The perception of a predominantly white, male student body and workforce is a potential barrier to recruiting women and minorities to Forestry and related-NR fields. The images of “forestry” and “natural resources-related” fields were examined as they would be from a potential student’s perspective looking at university and college websites with these degree program majors at the 80 National Association of University Forest Resource Programs member institutions during in 2016. Results suggest the percentage of women and minorities enrolled explains little variation in a program’s website image content, whereas there is significant image under-representation of minorities in all NR fields and of women on forestry-major webpages. In addition, women and minorities are more likely to be portrayed in a passive image, such as posing on campus, rather than in an active image, such as measuring a tree. Potential students are also less likely to see diverse faculty online. A lack of diversity image inclusion in Forestry and related NR will not help students see themselves in these fields or enhance society’s view of these critical fields for future employment and economic growth.

The “Catch-22” of Representation of Women in the Forest Sector: The Perspective of Student Leaders in Top Global Forestry Universities

“…Changing the forest sector image should be supported with better marketing and promotion on various platforms, both online and offline. One way to promote gender diversity is to highlight diversity in forest sector organization websites, pamphlets, and other media [7]. In higher education, emphasizing diversity on university websites is a central strategy for attracting new student populations.…”

“…The perception of the forest sector as a male dominated field is not only related to workplaces, but also forestry education. A web content analysis found that images on US forestry universities' websites rarely portrayed women, possibly perpetuating the suggestion of a less perceived fit for women in the forest sector [7]. Perceived fit is a direct measure of fit, the degree to which individuals can see themselves fitting into an organization [8].…”

“…Perceived fit is a direct measure of fit, the degree to which individuals can see themselves fitting into an organization [8]. This theory, together with image theory, may explain that due to a persistent masculine image [7], women students were reported less likely to choose a career in the forest sector [9].…”

Formative Interests and Pathways to Natural Resources Careers Among Racial and Ethnic Minorities

“…The low number of minority students matriculating into natural resource and environmental programs (Blockstein, Mandula, and Ploetz 1992;Lawrence, Holland, and Morrin 1993;Sharik and Frisk 2011) implies that there is little interest to pursue these disciplines among underrepresented groups or there is little perceived fit (Bal and Sharik 2019). How career interests develop and career choices are made is a complex process that has been studied extensively by experts in the field of career development (Krumboltz, Mitchell, and Jones 1976;Vondracek, Lerner, and Schulenberg 1986).…”

“…Recruitment efforts from agencies and organizations would benefit from including parents when discussing career options to youth. Addressing the broad range of career options and opportunities for upward mobility in many NR careers may help mitigate perceived wage ceilings.While other fields are experiencing a rise in the number of minorities, particularly some traditional STEM fields, lack of diversity continues to be a barrier that deters minorities from the NR field(Bal and Sharik 2019; McGrown 2015). Lack of diversity can lead to feelings of isolation and unrelatability to the majority population.…”