“They Accept You the Way You Are”: How STEM Professional Counterspaces Support Women of Color in Academia

Structural racism and sexism in science, technology, and engineering (STEM) create unique challenges for women of color (WOC) faculty, shaped by the intersections of race, gender, and cultural identity. Research indicates that STEM departments often fail to provide WOC with adequate resources for career advancement, financial and logistical support, and mentoring. Consequently, many WOC navigate academic spaces in isolation, as departments lack built-in social support systems or offer limited opportunities to build networks that foster professional growth. Thus, using professional counterspaces as a conceptual framework, this qualitative study examined how Sisters of the Academy (SOTA) Research BootCamp® (RBC) attended to the vocational and psychosocial needs of 49 WOC doctoral students, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career faculty participants. We identified three themes in our analysis: (1) intentionally designed environment, (2) individualized mentoring, and (3) outcomes that attend to professional success and personal well-being. Implications from the study highlight that while professional counterspaces provide refuge from the pressures of traditional STEM environments, short-term programs alone cannot ensure sustained success for WOC. STEM departments and the broader STEM cultural context must create systemic changes to improve conditions and outcomes for WOC, including tangible incentives for mentors—who are often WOC themselves and disproportionately taxed by inequities in teaching, service, and mentoring responsibilities.