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Half of Black, Latina Scientists Mistaken For Janitors, Assistants

Graduate student Giulia Agliardi, from Milan, Italy, studies cancer cells in the Nanomedicine Lab at UCL's School of Pharmacy in London
Graduate student Giulia Agliardi, from Milan, Italy, studies cancer cells in the Nanomedicine Lab at UCL's School of Pharmacy in London in 2013. Suzanne Plunkett / REUTERS
By TJ Henry

Approximately half of Black and Latina women in the sciences say they have been mistaken for janitors and administrative staff, according to a new study.

“Double Jeopardy” surveyed more than 550 professional women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields to gauge how they were treated in the workplace.

A majority of women - 77 percent of Blacks, 65 percent of Latinas and 64 percent of Asian Americans - sid they felt like they had to continuously prove their competence and intelligence in the workplace. About four-in-ten Asian American women said they felt pressured to perform a more stereotypically female role.

On a positive note, a large majority of women - including 79 percent of Latinas and 71 percent of Asian Americans - say that the women in their work environments support one another.

The study, published by the UC Hastings College of the Law was conducted by Joan C. Williams, Katherine Phillips, and Erika Hall, and can be found here.

TJ Henry

TJ Henry is an intern for NBCNews.com. He started in May 2015 and attends Rutgers University. He studies Communication and French with a focus on mediated communication.