Affective inequalities beyond heteronormativity. Impostor feelings, wellbeing and belonging in STEM students in the UK and India.
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| Title: | Affective inequalities beyond heteronormativity. Impostor feelings, wellbeing and belonging in STEM students in the UK and India. |
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| Authors: | Leyton, Daniel, Read, Barbara, Slade, Bonnie, Evangelista, Zyra, Maitra, Srabani, Maitra, Saikat |
| Source: | Educational Review. Jan2026, Vol. 78 Issue 1, p39-60. 22p. |
| Subjects: | Heteronormativity, STEM education, Higher education, Information economy |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom, India |
| Abstract: | STEM in higher education has been framed as a central site to boost the knowledge-based economy. Within this context, gender equality and mental health have been of primary concern. However, the affective inequalities experienced by STEM students with marginalised "sexual orientations and gender identities" – SOGI – remain underexplored. In this article, we drew on Butler's work on the heterosexual matrix and Ahmed's gendered notion of affective economy to analyse students' impostor phenomenon experience in relation to wellbeing and belonging. Based on a sample of STEM students from Indian and UK universities and articulating statistical analyses with feminist affective politics of interpretation, we identified affective inequalities that were significantly intense in marginalised SOGI students. These inequalities were indexed in higher levels of impostor feelings associated with fear, disappointment, self-doubt and unworthiness; lower levels of wellbeing; and precarious sense of belonging. Importantly, when we intersected gender and sexual orientations, these experiences of affective inequalities became more visible. We highlight the relevance of both taking heteronormativity from an affective lens and going beyond assumed heterosexualities in the study of inequalities in STEM fields in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | STEM in higher education has been framed as a central site to boost the knowledge-based economy. Within this context, gender equality and mental health have been of primary concern. However, the affective inequalities experienced by STEM students with marginalised "sexual orientations and gender identities" – SOGI – remain underexplored. In this article, we drew on Butler's work on the heterosexual matrix and Ahmed's gendered notion of affective economy to analyse students' impostor phenomenon experience in relation to wellbeing and belonging. Based on a sample of STEM students from Indian and UK universities and articulating statistical analyses with feminist affective politics of interpretation, we identified affective inequalities that were significantly intense in marginalised SOGI students. These inequalities were indexed in higher levels of impostor feelings associated with fear, disappointment, self-doubt and unworthiness; lower levels of wellbeing; and precarious sense of belonging. Importantly, when we intersected gender and sexual orientations, these experiences of affective inequalities became more visible. We highlight the relevance of both taking heteronormativity from an affective lens and going beyond assumed heterosexualities in the study of inequalities in STEM fields in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00131911 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00131911.2024.2438877 |
