“Thriving at the margins”: understanding workplace mistreatment and the impostor phenomenon among Latina faculty in STEM

Abstract

Impostor phenomenon among Latina faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is understudied. Latinas hold only 1.7% of all STEM related jobs,experiencing both mistreatment (conscious and unconscious; physical, and mental forms of harassment and violence) and impostor phenomenon (feeling like a fraud and the inability to internalize success). Using Crenshaw’s theory ofi ntersectionality, this exploratory study examined how Latina STEM faculty related their impostor phenomenon with interpersonal mistreatment. This qualitative study examined the intersectionality of multiple identities: professional, personal, and cultural, related to their impostor experiences, among 13 participants. One-on-one phone interviews were analyzed inductively. Thematic analysis revealed that interviewees experienced explicit or implicit messaging at work; mistreatment of colleagues and students; and the internalization of mistreatment. Multiple identities (cultural identity as Latina, gender identity, and professional identity as STEM faculty) intersected, contributing to feelings of being marginalized. This is the first study to examine how Latina faculty thrive at the margins, being told that they do not belong in STEM and their minority background got them the position. This study positions impostor phenomenon as more than an internal feeling and critically examines power structures that keep minorities at the periphery.