Community voices: sowing, germinating, flourishing as strategies to support inclusion in STEM

Abstract

The systems of oppression in society and science are deeply intertwined1, which becomes evident when analysing the senior positions at universities and scientific institutions and the editorial boards of scientific journals. Although it is possible to observe diversity among students and early career scientists, white, cisgender males from developed countries are still predominant in leadership positions1. The current academic gatekeeping system allows the maintenance of a discriminatory pyramid1 that excludes underrepresented groups along with their academic career in a phenomenon called the “leaky pipeline”2. Gender disparity (i.e., the disproportionate access to resources and participation in different environments between men and women) arises as a consequence of this pyramid1 and is potentialized by other systems of oppression, including racism, ableism, xenophobia, and 2SLGBTQIA + phobia (i.e., the prejudice against Two-Spirit, Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transexuals, Queer, Intersexual, Asexual and others)3. Despite being recognized in the literature, these different forms of discrimination in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are often approached separately3.