For women of color in academia, there is an ever-present halo of ‘diversity’ that travels with them throughout their careers. The awareness of institutional responsibilities for diversity is heightened and even encoded among scholars. But where measures to increase diversity may be greater in the ivory towers, the resistance to any kind of institutional change, especially one as ingrained as the patriarchy, is strikingly stubborn.
This dynamic of being a designated agent for change in a space that inherently resists it is explored in a recent paper by Dr. Yvonne Su, an Assistant Professor of Equity Studies at Ontario’s York University. The paper, titled “Becoming the Ideal Woman-of-Color Academic for Everyone but Me,” was published last month in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.
Su argues that the current framework of inclusion in academic institutions is more performative than transformative, ultimately reinforcing systemic inequities rather than dismantling them.
“Inclusion, as it’s currently defined, is about optics, not transformation,” Su explains. “Institutions aim to present a diverse image on the surface, but they fail to address the deep-seated inequalities embedded within their structures.”
Su discusses the frustrating contradiction of expecting women of color to “fix” a flawed system while denying them the authority to question its foundations. Her critique extends to the notion of inclusion as a conditional promise. Drawing from her own experiences as a Chinese Canadian academic with a family including two children, Su reflects on her efforts to meet expectations while facing the limitations of this conditional inclusion.
“I believed in the promise that if I worked hard enough and promoted diversity, I could achieve the ideal academic career,” she shares. “But the more I tried, the more apparent it became that inclusion is conditional.”
Su sheds light on “benevolent sexism” as a pervasive issue—a form of discrimination disguised as well-meaning advice from male colleagues. These interactions, Su notes, often reinforce traditional gender roles and undermine women’s independence and authority. “It’s been two years since I recognized this happening to me, and I still haven’t found a way to stop it,” she admits. She says it manifests in forms such as expressing amazement at her ability to have a career and raise two children. “Such remarks carry the weight of century-old stereotypes. My achievements are greeted with scepticism, as if excelling in my career somehow diminishes my role as a loving mother. This must be the secret of my success – I’m acting like a childless white man and getting away with it.”
Su has indeed achieved a lot in her early career, becoming the youngest Director of York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies, along with being the first woman of colour. She clearly would like her achievements to be welcomed and celebrated without any sort of caveat about her personal life. “I always want to say, It’s none of your business.”
In her paper, she addresses the fear that many women of colour have around voicing their concerns or challenging the status quo. Doing so, she says, can not only be unsafe but is also unlikely to change their status as visible minorities.
“We want to advocate for meaningful change, but institutions must provide the space, autonomy, and protections necessary to enable us to do so effectively,” Su emphasizes.
Su draws a parallel between her own struggles and the scrutiny faced by Kamala Harris during her run for President. As the first Black and South Asian woman to hold the position of Vice President, Harris became a symbol of progress in American politics, but her experience revealed the relentless pressures placed on women of color in leadership roles. Su draws on Harris’s journey as a relatable example of how institutions celebrate diversity in leadership while subjecting these leaders to heightened scrutiny and systemic obstacles.
“Academia is evolving, and institutions must evolve with it,” Su asserts. Failure to address these systemic issues, she warns, will leave academic institutions lagging behind societal progress. She urges universities to stop tokenizing women of color and instead implement tangible protections and safeguards. True inclusion, she argues, requires granting women of color the authority and autonomy to lead systemic change, not merely serve as symbols of diversity.
Su’s paper is a powerful reminder that inclusion must move beyond surface-level representation to transform the deeper inequalities embedded in academic institutions.