The need for intersectionality in EDI
Intersectionality is a multifaceted framework for understanding the
impact of the cumulative occurrence of privileges or barriers on
individual success (Hearn & Louvrier
2015). It is one way to decipher the ‘real’ drivers of academic
opportunities and success among researchers worldwide by looking at
major intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect individual ability to
survive and reach leadership positions in the global scientific scene.
We propose a simplified formula of intersectionality that explains
academic success (S) as a function of four components: training (T),
language (L), Networking (N), and discrimination (D) [S
=f (T,L,N,D)] (Fig. 1a), where each component is determined by
an array of factors.
Training is a metric that depends on educational
institutions, the economy of the country, and one’s mentors.
Universities play a crucial role in providing the resources
(infrastructure), expertise (hiring the best scientists), funding and
other opportunities that affect the quality of education of students,
their willingness to pursue a science career, and the scientific
productivity of researchers. The economy of a country is also a large
determinant of the quality of training because rich countries can invest
more money into education and research, providing a superior pedagogical
and academic environment (Das et al.2013). Also, the choice of an academic supervisor shapes the quality of
training of students, the originality and impact of the research
questions they ask, the size of the academic networks they build, and
the reputation of the journals in which they publish
(Clement et al. 2020).
Language is the second major component of scientific
success, particularly because English is the lingua franca in science
and the ability of individuals to access the content of the literature
depends on their knowledge of English
(Ramírez-Castañeda 2020). There is a
tradeoff in using a universal language. The advantage is unification and
facilitation of science communication, but the disadvantage is that the
singular use of the English language limits access to science to those
who are proficient in English (Nuñezet al. 2021), which does not include those living in many less
developed regions of the world. English proficiency intersects and
interacts with the quality of training. For countries whose main
language is not English, they need to have a good infrastructure and
teach students English from an early age to have that quality of
training (Amano et al. 2021).
Networking is a powerful component of academic success
that facilitates not only collaborations but also the transfer of
knowledge and the discovery of new research, techniques and tools. Even
in this internet era, physical meetings are still the best way to
interact with people and create real bonds. Researchers who often go to
conferences overseas have more opportunities to meet international
leading researchers in their field and create ties with them. However,
there is a high difference in the ease of traveling overseas among
nationalities where those from the Global South often need to apply for
visa, pay fees, and go through heavy paper work to travel to
conferences. Together with the lack of funding for conferences, the
possibilities of international networking for Global South researchers
are very limited.
Discrimination is another force that prevents people
from succeeding and reaching leadership positions
(Chaudhury & Colla 2021). Studies have
recently highlighted institutional discrimination against black,
indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), women, LGBTQIA+,
and people with disabilities (e.g. Hofstraet al. 2020). These biases are often both visual and non-visual,
that is, based on implicit biases such as inferring individual
performance based on the name and affiliation of people
(Pinholster 2016). Discrimination is thus
a critical point of scientific success as, regardless of the level of
training and language proficiency that individuals have, discrimination
could drastically reduce one’s probability of success.
Depending on the place of birth, socioeconomic status, health, gender,
and sexual orientation, researchers could be affected by a single to
multiple barriers at once that not only reduce their likelihood of
succeeding in academia but also exacerbate the amount of effort and time
to spend to reach the expectations of leading scientists.
Intersectionality shows that addressing EDI from a single dimension (T,
L, N or D) is not effective to depict the cumulative barriers that
individuals encounter, and a multivariate analysis is needed to address
equity (Fig. 1b).