Chapter 10: Why aren’t more Black men Interested in Psychology?

The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) workforce has seen rapid growth in the United States over the past 20-30 years. Although there is not a lack of men in STEM disciplines, there is however a dearth of Black¹ men in STEM. The National Science Foundation reported that only 3% of the STEM workforce are Black men (NSF, 2013, 2018). Although there have been targeted recruitment efforts for racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in many STEM disciplines, it has not translated to the field of psychology. Psychology is a core STEM discipline with significant contributions to scientific and technological innovations, as well as a major influence on education and learning in science and technology (American Psychological Association, 2010). According to the American Psychological Association (2020), the percentage of psychologists who identified as both Black and male was an abysmal 29%. In 2019, the total percentage of Black students enrolled in psychology graduate programs was 10.13%, with only 19.2% of those students identifying as male (NSF, 2021). The documented shortage of Black men in psychology undergraduate and graduate programs ultimately impact the numbers of Black men who are seen in academia, applied practice, and/or the K–12 classroom. This means a significant lack of representation for young Black men interested in pursuing psychology as a major and/or a career.