Academic trajectories in the Southern Cone: marked by the stigmatization of being a woman, migrant, or non-Caucasian

Abstract

The academic trajectories of women in the Southern Cone are marked by different obstacles. From an intersectional perspective, this article asks: what are the discriminatory situations that affect the academic trajectories of women in the Southern Cone of Latin America? To address this question, a survey was conducted among 453 female academics from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Based on the collected data, a descriptive analysis was performed, to explore the type and the level of exposure to discriminatory situations, enriched with brief descriptions of the types of discrimination experienced by the academics. The findings suggest that academics in the region face discrimination based on sexism, racism, classism, xenophobia, and homophobia. Yet, although female academics in all the analyzed countries experience discrimination, it is those who identified themselves racially, as migrants and as women, who suffer the major levels of exposure to discrimination.