ABSTRACT
Women of color have made modest gains in their quest to join the faculty populations of higher-education institutions. Their numbers within all departments, fields of study, and professional schools have reached levels never before attained. Nevertheless, at 3 percent of all full-time faculty, they constitute a faculty population very much in need of institutional empowerment within all disciplines and professional schools. Even more than white women or men of color, women of color are severely disenfranchised compared with the white males who have traditionally dominated academe. Here, we attempt a close, systematic look at the structural, sociocultural, and psychological impediments to their incorporation, progression, and retention in academia. We conclude by suggesting the need for established senior faculty to be active, supportive members and for the creation of networks identifying and linking women of color within specific departments and whole institutions if academe is to be a more hospitable environment.
