Building Bridges: The Power of the Sisterhood

Uru The Right To Be Inc, Hamden CT

Investigators

Abstract

National data indicates that women from varied racial backgrounds desist from pursuing STEM careers at a higher rate than white women. Because diversity categorization often separates individuals by race and gender, women of color bear an additional discriminatory burden of this divisive effect in ways men and white women do not. Consequently, women of color face a double ration of exclusion. This project seeks to build stronger bonds between women of color and white women by addressing the elephant in the room: the lack of trust. By addressing the historical mistrust between women of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, we can develop a safe space to build trust. Mutually understood trust can then facilitate collaboration, alliances, and advocacy to come together and can translate into a critical mass of women in STEM fields. This award will support two remote conferences on fostering dialogue between white women and women of color in engineering with the ultimate goal of increased retention of women in engineering. Groups of women from regions across the US will be convened for candid and open discussions about race, gender, and other social categories and how belonging to those categories shapes their experiences. Rather than focusing on best practices or tips and tricks, this project aims to deconstruct and reimagine these kinds of workshops to push participants to confront their own biases and ignorances. This project will bring together an unprecedented mix of participants to define research questions that can be further pursued and eventually lead to deeper understanding of how women in engineering, and then STEM, can become better allies to one another and make advancement toward their own representation. As the participants in this project return to their home institutions and offices, they will be able to share key takeaways with their circles and further increase the reach of this project. The results of the Building Bridges: Power of the Sisterhood pilot program have been shared in conference papers. Scaling the project will provide a greater opportunity to share knowledge via personal interactions, future conference proceedings, and publications for greater dissemination of critical information. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.