THE TRUTH ABOUT
EQUALIT Y IN STEM
What form does discrimination take in science careers,
and how prevalent is it? The STEM Survey 2020 lifts
the lid on prejudice in the workplace
N
EARLY 29 per cent of those working
in science and technology careers have
experienced discrimination of some
kind at work, according to this year’s STEM
Survey. This is higher than the average figure
for UK workers, but may indicate that people
working in science are getting better at
recognising and calling out discrimination.
The STEM Survey 2020, conducted by
New Scientist in association with recruiter
SRG, takes a look at the science job market.
It brings to light some positive news: that
careers in science are long and fulfilling
despite the turbulent economic times. But it
also examines the challenges STEM workers
face, including workplace discrimination.
The survey reached nearly 3000 people
employed in STEM, mostly in the UK plus a
small number in other countries. As well as
asking them what sorts of discrimination
they had encountered, it also gave people
the chance to write about their experiences.
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment
of different categories of people. It is against
the law in the UK to discriminate on the basis
of a person’s age, sex, gender, race and other
protected characteristics.
Surveys tend to suggest that about a quarter
of all workers in the UK have experienced some
form of discrimination, which is in line with
last year’s STEM Survey. It might seem bad that
the figure has come out higher in this year’s
survey, but there is a caveat. As the 2020 survey
asked respondents about their whole careers,
the incidents they reported didn’t necessarily
take place within the past year. The increased
figure could therefore reflect a growing
awareness of what constitutes discrimination
and a greater confidence in reporting it.
In association withThis sentiment was echoed by participants
that New Scientist spoke to in more detail. One
young scientist in the UK said: “I don’t think
that the actual incidents have increased. I think
it has become clearer what is acceptable and
what is not. And because of #MeTooSTEM and
other movements, the people who have been
affected find it easier to speak out and seek
appropriate support.”
Perspectives differed a little in North
America, where one postdoc said: “Since
movements like #MeTooSTEM, people are
more aware, but in my experience, this leads
to more jokes about being ‘extra sensitive’.”
When respondents were asked about the
type of incidents they had faced, gender-based
discrimination came up most often (see “On
what grounds?”, right). In fact, women were
more likely than men to experience
discrimination of any kind: 35 per cent of the
women surveyed said they had, compared with
22 per cent of men.
Of the men who felt that gender had played
a role in discrimination they faced, many talked
about their experiences after having children.
One academic from Switzerland said: “For
me, it all started when I became a father
and therefore I was unable to keep working35 %
Percentage of women working
in STEM who say they have
experienced discrimination
the same amount of hours in excess of our
business hours. From then on, I was told that I
had made the choice myself of NOT advancing
my career.”
Part-time workers were also more likely
to face discrimination, especially on the
basis of gender. This might partly account
for the 20 per cent gender pay gap that the
survey also identified. About 9 per cent
of women were working part-time versus
3 per cent of men. Women are more likely
in general to reduce their working hours
due to family commitments.
With most of our respondents based in
the UK, it was possible to build a picture of
which parts of the country experience the
most discrimination. The areas with the
highest incidence were Northern Ireland and
Yorkshire. Different areas also had different
profiles in terms of the kinds of discrimination
experienced there. In Northern Ireland, for
example, a large proportion of discrimination
was based on sexuality. Until January 2020,