Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2016 "THEY BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN, IT SHOULD BE EASIER FOR THEM." SUBTLE AND OVERT SEXISM TOWARD WOMEN IN STEM FROM SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTARY Katherine Hall Virginia Commonwealth University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd Part of the Public Policy Commons, and the Social Policy Commons © The Author Downloaded from https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4160 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © Katherine J. Hall 2016 All Rights Reserved “They believe that because they are women, it should be easier for them.” Subtle and Overt Sexism toward Women in STEM from Social Media Commentary Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Katherine J. Hall Chair: Dr. Sarah Jane Brubaker Program in Public Policy and Administration Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia May 2016 Acknowledgment I would like to thank Dr. Sarah Jane Brubaker for her continuous help, encouragement, and guidance through the process of completing my dissertation. I would like to thank my family for their love throughout my years in school. I would also like to thank my fiancé, Jason for his support and enthusiasm. Last but not least, I would like to thank my best friend, Mary, for always providing a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen, and for being the best person I know. ii Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1 ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................................ 3 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 7 Review of the Literature .............................................................................................................. 7 Organizational Life as Gendered Masculine ........................................................................... 9 Women in STEM Academia ................................................................................................. 12 Gender Stereotypes in STEM ................................................................................................ 14 Work/Life Balance ................................................................................................................ 15 Absence of Female Mentors .................................................................................................. 16 Sense of Belonging ................................................................................................................ 17 Role of Confidence ................................................................................................................ 19 Responding to Challenges in the Workplace......................................................................... 20 Career Breaks ........................................................................................................................ 21 Opting-Out of the Workforce ................................................................................................ 23 Chapter 2 – Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................. 26 Sexism ....................................................................................................................................... 27 Role of Mobility within Organizations ..................................................................................... 27 The Dangers of Grouping and Stereotypes ............................................................................... 30 Sexist Perceptions and Organizational Mobility ....................................................................... 32 Sexism Typologies .................................................................................................................... 34 Subtle Sexism Typologies ..................................................................................................... 36 Chapter 3 – Research Design ........................................................................................................ 42 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 42 Research Design ........................................................................................................................ 44 Sample and Data Collection ...................................................................................................... 44 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 48 Data Coding ............................................................................................................................... 51 Software Tools .......................................................................................................................... 52 Role of Researcher .................................................................................................................... 53 Participants ................................................................................................................................ 53 Coding Explanation ................................................................................................................... 54 iii Chapter 4 – Results ....................................................................................................................... 58 Discussing Sexism--Participants identified as in STEM ........................................................... 61 Women identified as in STEM .............................................................................................. 61 Men identified as in STEM ................................................................................................... 63 Discussing Sexism—Participants not identified as in STEM ................................................... 65 Women not identified as in STEM ........................................................................................ 66 Men not identified as in STEM ............................................................................................. 67 Displaying Sexism ..................................................................................................................... 69 Displaying Subtle Sexism...................................................................................................... 70 Displaying Overt Sexism ....................................................................................................... 72 Threat to Masculinity ............................................................................................................ 74 Supportive Commentary ........................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 5 – Discussion and Conclusion ....................................................................................... 78 Relevance of “Subtle Sexism” .................................................................................................. 78 Contribution to the Literature: A Grounded Theory of Sexism Toward Women in STEM as Displayed through Social Media ............................................................................................... 80 Policy Implications .................................................................................................................... 84 Methodological Implications ..................................................................................................... 86 Recommendations for Future Research .................................................................................... 87 Limitations of this Study ........................................................................................................... 88 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 89 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 91 Appendix 1 – Figures .................................................................................................................... 96 Appendix 2 – Categories ............................................................................................................... 97 Glossary of Terms ......................................................................................................................... 99 iv Abstract “THEY BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN, IT SHOULD BE EASIER FOR THEM.” SUBTLE AND OVERT