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

Theodore Masters-Waage, Christiane Spitzmueller, Ebenezer Edema-Sillo, Ally St. Aubin, Michelle Penn-Marshall, Erika Henderson, Peggy Lindner, Cynthia Werner, Tracey Rizzuto and Juan Madera ()
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Theodore Masters-Waage: University of Houston
Christiane Spitzmueller: University of California Merced
Ebenezer Edema-Sillo: University of Houston
Ally St. Aubin: University of Houston
Michelle Penn-Marshall: Texas Southern University
Erika Henderson: University of Houston
Peggy Lindner: University of Houston
Cynthia Werner: Texas A&M University
Tracey Rizzuto: Louisiana State University
Juan Madera: University of Houston

Nature Human Behaviour, 2024, vol. 8, issue 11, 2107-2118

Abstract: 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 in their review letters. In sum, the results support the double standard hypothesis and provide evidence that different outcomes in P&T decision-making processes contribute to the sustained underrepresentation of URM faculty in tenured faculty positions.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01977-7

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