Identity management
Underrepresented groups in work and education
Despite significant changes, certain groups are still underrepresented in the fields of work and education. Examples of such underrepresentation include students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds in higher education, ethnic minorities in various work and education fields, and women in fields historically dominated by men, such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), the police force, and the military.
To better understand this underrepresentation, we focus on the processes that occur when you are a member of such a group. For instance, we find that it is more challenging to feel at home and to feel like you belong when you are in the minority. This is the case, for example, for women in higher positions in science or students who are the first in their family to attend college. Feeling like you belong is crucial because it affects your well-being and performance. It also has a significant influence on the choices you make, such as deciding whether to stay within the same organization or to seek opportunities elsewhere. The questions we aim to answer are: How do people cope with these challenges? How do they navigate their way in work or education when they belong to a minority?
One way in which people navigate their minority position is by trying to better fit into their environment by distancing themselves from their minority group. For example, we see that students who are the first in their family to attend college may hide aspects of their social background to better fit into the university environment. We also investigate this phenomenon in the context of women in work environments where they are in the minority. For instance, we observe that women in training within the defense sector emphasize that they are not a "typical" woman to better fit into the environment and feel more accepted. Women in leadership positions sometimes do the same to attain higher positions.
Through this research, we aim to gain a better understanding of the factors contributing to the underrepresentation of certain groups in work and education fields, and how this situation can be changed.