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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.
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]
Copyright of Educational Review is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: 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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  Data: <i>Copyright of Educational Review is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1080/00131911.2024.2438877
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              Text: Jan2026
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