STEM, Gender, Ethnicity, and Cyberbullying

The under-representation of women and minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is a growing concern. To explore whether cyberbullying contributes to this lack of participation, this study investigated the relationships between race, gender, and college major with reports of cyberbullying. The results of a cross-tabulation analysis of 402 surveys, 93% of which were completed by current students, revealed statistically significant differences in cyberbullying by major and gender, with non-STEM majors showing a higher incidence of cyberbullying than STEM majors, and women in all majors being cyberbullied at a higher rate than men. Although race was not a significant contributor to cyberbullying for the entire sample, the results indicated that minorities in STEM majors were cyberbullied at a higher rate than non-minorities. Implications for the study are presented and suggestions for future research are discussed. To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify possible connections between the environmental factor of cyberbullying and the underrepresentation of women and minorities in STEM fields. It is important to identify all possible social and environmental filters that remove women and minorities from the STEM pipeline as part of the attempt to expand the number of underrepresented categories in STEM professions. Our findings are one more step in that direction. As the United States and other countries struggle with issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, to identify factors affecting them, and determine how they can be most effectively addressed, becomes an ethical imperative for those in the STEM professions.