by Meghan Scarlott
During the 2022-23 academic year with IGEPS, I worked on manuscripts and conference presentations for a number of projects. My primary focus has been to draft a history of SOGIE in the workplace, looking at legislation, court decisions, and social norms that impacted the workforce participation of people belonging to marginalized genders.
Prior to this project, I had not conducted such in depth research into the history of gender in the United States. The project has given me a better understanding of how even policies not directly related to the workforce can dramatically impact women’s ability to work and the inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals in the workforce. I also had the opportunity to explore SOGIE representation and ways to promote inclusive workplace policies. As this project has developed, I have presented on the importance of understanding the history of women in the workforce and SOGIE policies at John Jay College’s Graduate Symposium and the Northeastern Conference on Public Administration. I have also worked with my colleagues at IGEPS on a project for the UN that analyzed policies around the world that concerned women in the workplace. Specifically, this project sought to understand what countries have done to work towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), Gender Equality. There was a quick turn around for this project, and it was exciting to work on something so fast paced. When the project was finished, I presented our findings with my IGEPS colleagues at the American Society for Public Administration Conference. Working with IGEPS has given me insight into how broad gender issues can impact gender equality in the workplace.
My time at IGEPS has supported my long term academic and career interests immensely. Much of my work and research in forensic psychology has been focused on cis men, and I rarely have opportunities to explore issues of gender in the field. My research interests have centered around terrorism and security policy, which is often focused solely on men. In fact, my most recent research for my Master’s thesis has focused on involuntary celibates (incels), or men who believe in an extremely misogynistic ideology. Working with IGEPS has helped me to expand my view of the issues I care about and to add a more nuanced perspective of gender to my work. This has made me more interested in how perceptions and experiences of gender roles can contribute to extremist ideology and action. As a woman, understanding how masculinity norms can contribute to violence against women is very important to me, and I hope to continue to explore this area of research to develop early intervention for those engaged with extremist ideology.
As a recent graduate from the Forensic Psychology MA program at John Jay College, I am looking for new opportunities to work in the field and bring the experience I gained at IGEPS into the field of psychology. My time at IGEPS has opened my eyes to gender issues that I had not fully explored previously. As I continue to pursue my interests in research on extremism and forensic psychology more broadly, I will take what I have learned from my experiences with IGEPS with me. I look forward to continuing my work at IGEPS and to continuing to grow through this research experience.
About the author:
Meghan Scarlott is a graduate student at John Jay College working towards her MA in Forensic Psychology and her Advanced Certificate in Transnational Organized Crime. She earned a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs with a concentration in Security Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from George Washington University. She has experience in economic development from working at the Boston Chamber of Commerce on their Pacesetters program, connecting minority-owned businesses with larger cooperation. Meghan’s interest include baking, running, and playing with her puppy!