Patching the “leaky pipeline”: Interventions for women of color faculty in STEM academia.

There has been a great deal of research on the concept of the “leaky pipeline,” which is the progressive loss of competent women faculty in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Research has shown that women academics are less likely than men to be selected, promoted, and retained in STEM departments. In recent years, there have been programs to increase the representation of women in STEM departments, which have resulted in increasing the overall percentage of STEM women faculty in the United States. However, despite these efforts, the percentage of women of color faculty (WOCF) in STEM has decreased. This simultaneous increase in overall numbers of women faculty in STEM and decrease in numbers of women of color faculty in STEM might be because these programs did not consider intersectional barriers. When the intersectionality of race−ethnicity and gender is accounted for, WOCF are more likely to thrive professionally and feel like they matter to the institution. In this article, we consider the unique challenges faced by WOCF in STEM departments within selection, promotion, and retention. Furthermore, we identify the types of interventions and programs that are likely to be particularly effective at fixing these leaks within the pipeline. Last, we call for more research to be conducted to assess whether these programs are actually helpful in remediating these disparities for women of color in STEM departments.