- Professor of Psychology and Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan
- Ph.D. in Personality Psychology from the University of Michigan (2001)
- B.A. in Psychology from Harvard College (1993)
Curriculum Vitae
Researchgate Profile
In my research, I use a feminist, intersectional framework to focus on two related processes:
- The experiences, perceptions, and consequences of unfair treatment directed at devalued social group members, especially Black women and men, and women across racial groups
- Protective factors and coping strategies used by members of devalued social groups to counteract experiences of mistreatment, especially those protective factors related to group identity (e.g., racial identity)
Intersectionality is a framework that developed from Black feminist thought; it has been growing in prominence in psychology as scholars have started to seriously attend to what it means to consider individuals’ multiple identities, the social context, and the power vs. marginalization afforded by particular social positions.
In my work, I have examined the two processes of mistreatment and coping primarily by studying two types of intersections. First, I examine the intersection of race and gender, in a few different contexts. My work shows that although there are key ways in which groups are similar (e.g., Black and White women both describe experiences of discrimination and mistreatment), the combination of race and gender results in important group differences that reflect cultural gender-role norms (e.g., Black women describe more sexualized types of discrimination than White women or Black men). Some of the current studies I am working on in this area:
- The experiences of visibility vs. invisibility and hypervisibility of students and faculty of color, and how gender intersects with race to inform the experiences of these groups
- Racial-gender differences in perceptions of benevolent sexism
I have also looked at the intersection of race and gender in sexual harassment experiences and found that stereotypes, sociohistorical contexts, and the power afforded to identities affect who is sexually harassed (e.g., low status individuals are harassed more often), how individuals are sexually harassed (e.g., Black women report more sexualized harassment than White women, who report more gender harassment), the psychological effect of harassment (e.g., men reporting threatening harassment are more distressed than women) and how sexual harassment is perceived by others (e.g., sexual harassment is perceived as less acceptable when directed at transgender individuals compared with gay, lesbian, or heterosexual individuals). Some of the current studies I am working on in this area:
- Experiences of different forms of harassment — sexual harassment, racialized sexual harassment, heterosexist harassment, in the medical community, and how these experiences differ (in frequency, impact, etc.) based on intersecting social identities
Second, I examine the intersection of gender and male-dominated environments, with a focus on women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This research examines some of the structural barriers and negative interpersonal experiences faced by women in STEM. I have found that women in STEM report more negative experiences than men (e.g. gender discrimination, scholarly isolation), and these negative experiences are related to worse job and psychological outcomes. I have found that the adverse effect of mistreatment appears to be partly due to the fact that it negatively influences women’s perceptions of their workplace environment. Further, gender identification and voice are protective factors that reduce the impact of negative experiences in STEM. Current studies in this area:
- How the demographic composition of science teams is related to individual and team outcomes, and the role of climate in these relationships
In my research, I use a variety of methods including surveys, experiments, interviews, and focus groups. My work is also informed by scholarship from outside of psychology (e.g., sociology, philosophy, women’s studies, critical race theory, higher education).