<p>It’s often difficult to tell exactly why members of some group are underrepresented in a job, or school, or organization. It might be because of direct discrimination by that organization, or it might be because of discrimination in feeder organizations. Thus (for example) if there are few female STEM professors at top colleges, that might be because those schools are discriminating against them–but it could also be, in part, because girls in high school are being discouraged from pursuing STEM fields.</p>
<p>And there’s also the possibility that groups are making choices because of cultural preferences. If you look at the makeup of a college orchestra or band, you might wonder whether the band director was discriminating against Asian brass players. But that’s probably not the reason there are so few Asian brass players in such ensembles.</p>