Difficult to recognize but harmful : experiences of microaggressions among European women physicists

This chapter examines gendered experiences of women in physics through the analytical lens of microaggressions. It identifies subtle forms of discrimination faced at work by European women physicists, explores the strategies women use to cope with the unfriendly climates of their workplaces, and investigates the consequences of being exposed to microaggressions. The analysis is based on a qualitative study performed under the framework of the H2020 project Gender Equality Network in the European Research Area (GENERA). It covers the results of 40 semi-standardized interviews conducted in 2017 with women physicists working in 12 European research-performing organizations and higher education institutions. The study reveals microaggressions that European women physicists face at different career stages. The most prevalent themes include presumed incompetence, restrictive gender roles, invisibility, sexist jokes, and sexual objectification. The perceived negative consequences of being exposed to microaggressions include feeling bad and experiencing frustration about being treated differently than a person would like to be treated, feeling obliged to constantly provide evidence of being equally competent as men, and questioning one’s ability to continue with an academic career. In order to cope with covert sexism, women physicists employ various strategies, which – while bringing some individual advantages – hardly allow them to challenge the masculine culture of physics.