Underrepresented minority faculty in the USA face a double standard in promotion and tenure decisions.

ABSTRACT: Underrepresented minority (URM) faculty face challenges in many domains of academia, from university admissions to grant applications. We examine whether this translates to promotion and tenure (P&T) decisions. Data from five US universities on 1,571 faculty members' P&T decisions show that URM faculty received 7% more negative votes and were 44% less likely to receive unanimous votes from P&T committees. A double standard in how scholarly productivity is rewarded is also observed, with below-average h-indexes being judged more harshly for URM faculty than for non-URM faculty. This relationship is amplified for faculty with intersectional backgrounds, especially URM women. The differential treatment of URM women was mitigated when external reviewers highlighted candidates' scholarship more

SUBMITTER: Masters-Waage T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11576510 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature