The main question of this study regarding intersectionality is the experience with prejudice that Asian American women face in STEM fields. The rationale behind the study is the prejudice and the social stereotype that Asian Americans always excel at STEM subjects, while on the other hand, there is prejudice against women working in this field (“Module 13,” n.d.; Castor & Collins, 2019; Rosenthal, 2016). Hence, it is important to determine if these females are affected by bias, either racial or gender, when they study in a STEM-related field. The hypothesis is that Asian American women are expected to perform worse when compared to Asian American men.
The design of this research is an interview study that will be conducted through in person-interviews since the goal is to explore a hypothesis and determine what further questions can be studies with this study. The participants will be Asian American women studying to receive their doctoral degrees in computer science, and they will be recruited by placing an advertisement encouraging them to take part in this research on the University’s premises. Considering the design, the participants will answer questions from a semi-structured interview. The proposed results will be that Asian American women will describe the specific barriers they faced when studying for their doctoral degrees linked to prejudice. The results of this study may reveal that these women struggled with their identities because of the mixed expectations that the social standards have set for them. On the one hand, Asian Americans would be expected to succeed in their doctoral studies, while on the other, they would struggle because women are often viewed as less qualified in STE subjects when compared to men.
References
Castro, A., & Collins, C. (2020). Asian American women in STEM in the lab with “White Men Named John.” Science Education, 105(1), 33-61. doi: 10.1002/sce.21598
Module 13: Intersectionality. (n.d.). [PPT slides].
Rosenthal, L. (2016). Incorporating intersectionality into psychology: An opportunity to promote social justice and equity. American Psychologist, 71(6), 474 – 485.