Abstract
We propose a framework of Resources, Achievement, Status, and Events (RASE) that allows the many disparate but well-documented phenomena affecting underrepresented groups in STEM to be assembled into a story of career trajectories, illuminating the possible cumulative impact of many small inequities. Our framework contains a three-component deterministic cycle of (1) production of Achievements from Resources, (2) updated community Status due to Achievements, and (3) accrual of additional Resources based on community Status. A fourth component, stochastic Events, can influence an individual’s level of Resources or Achievements at each time step of the cycle. We build a specific mathematical model within the RASE framework and use it to investigate the impact of accumulated disadvantages from multiple compounding variables. We demonstrate that the model can reproduce data of observed disparities in academia. Finally, we use a publicly available visualization and networking tool to provide a sandbox for exploring career outcomes within the model. The modeling exercise, results, and visualization tool may be useful in the context of training STEM faculty to recognize and reduce effects of bias.
Highlights
Diversity and equity researchers have long posited that “molehills can become mountains” [1] or “a ton of feathers still weighs a ton” [2] to explain how seemingly small, subtle, and shortterm inequities contribute to long-term disparities in success
We demonstrate that real-world data on inequities in academia can be reproduced by adjusting model parameters that capture the level of disadvantage experienced by a demographic group
As a specific example we look at the analysis of Nittrouer and colleagues [82] who found that men were more likely than women to be colloquium speakers at prestigious universities after controlling for gender and rank of available speakers
Summary
Diversity and equity researchers have long posited that “molehills can become mountains” [1] or “a ton of feathers still weighs a ton” [2] to explain how seemingly small, subtle, and shortterm inequities contribute to long-term disparities in success. This type of macroscopic theorizing is used to elucidate observed disparities in academia [1,2,3,4,5]. A robust body of research in the social sciences addresses why disparities in representation and academic success persist in STEM.
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