How Well-Intentioned White Male Physicists Maintain Ignorance of Inequity and Justify Inaction

Autor/inn/en	Dancy, Melissa; Hodari, Apriel K.
Titel	How Well-Intentioned White Male Physicists Maintain Ignorance of Inequity and Justify Inaction
Quelle	In: International Journal of STEM Education, 10 (2023), Artikel 45 (29 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Dancy, Melissa)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
DOI	10.1186/s40594-023-00433-8
Schlagwörter	Physics; College Faculty; Graduate Students; Males; Whites; Race; Sex; Equal Education; Social Behavior; Power Structure; Racism; Gender Bias; Social Justice; Political Attitudes; Social Action; Educational Attainment; Advantaged; Disadvantaged + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Physik; Fakultät; Graduate Study; Student; Students; Aufbaustudium; Graduiertenstudium; Hauptstudium; Studentin; Male; Männliches Geschlecht; White; Weißer; Rasse; Abstammung; Geschlecht; Geschlechtsverkehr; Social behaviour; Soziales Verhalten; Rassismus; Geschlechterstereotyp; Soziale Gerechtigkeit; Political attitude; Politische Einstellung; Soziales Handeln; Bildungsabschluss; Bildungsgut
Abstract	Background: We present an analysis of interviews with 27 self-identified progressive white-male physics faculty and graduate students discussing race and gender in physics. White cis men dominate most STEM fields and are particularly overrepresented in positions of status and influence (i.e., full professors, chairs, deans, etc.), positioning them as a potentially powerful demographic for enacting systemic reform. Despite their proclaimed outrage at and interest in addressing inequity, they frequently engage in patterns of belief, speech and (in)action that ultimately support the status quo of white male privilege in opposition to their intentions. Results: The white male physicists we interviewed used numerous discourses which support racist and sexist norms and position them as powerless to disrupt their own privilege. We present and discuss three overarching themes, seen in our data, demonstrating how highly educated, well-intentioned people of privilege maintain their power and privilege despite their own intentions: (1) denying inequity is physically near them; (2) locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence; and (3) justifying inaction. Conclusions: Despite being progressively minded and highly educated, these men are frequently complicit in racism and sexism. We end with recommendations for helping cis men engage the power they hold to better work with marginalized people to disrupt inequity. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01