Committees

Diversity and inclusion in STEM

Inquiry

There is evidence to suggest that women, certain ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are underrepresented in education, training and employment related to STEM. While there is significant variation in rates of progression and outcomes across ethnic minority groups, research shows that ethnic minority staff and students have consistently poorer outcomes than white staff and students. There is also variation within ethnic minorities. Recent data from the APPG on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM show that 65% of the STEM workforce are white men and that, proportionally, white women are less likely to be STEM workers than ethnic minority women. Further, the percentage of academic staff with a known disability is lower for staff working in STEM than non-STEM, and 2020 data analysis from the APPG on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM found that disabled people of all ethnicities are underrepresented in the STEM workforce.

While there is comparatively less data on the socioeconomic background of the STEM workforce a 2014 Royal Society report found that it does have a strong effect on an individual’s likelihood of entering the scientific workforce.

The importance of diversity amongst the research community has been acknowledged by UK Research and Innovation’s Chief Executive, Dame Ottoline Leyser, who said: “high-quality research and innovation needs diversity. You have to have people with different ideas and different backgrounds coming together to create the kind of environment where extraordinary things happen”.

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This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was 11:59pm on 14 January 2022.

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Past events

Wednesday 15 June 2022
9:20am Private
9:30am Public
Diversity and inclusion in STEM - Oral evidence 15 June 2022
9:30am
  • Mr Robin Walker (Minister for School Standards at Department for Education)
  • Paul Kett (Director General, Skills at Department for Education)
10:15am
  • Kemi Badenoch (Minister of State for Equalities at Government Equalities Office)
  • Marcus Bell (Director at Equality Hub)
  • Gillian Unsworth (Head of Gender and Workplace Equality at Equality Hub)
11:00am
  • Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser DBE FRS (Chief Executive at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI))
  • George Freeman MP (Minister for Science, Research and Innovation at Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Wednesday 18 May 2022
9:20am Private
9:30am Public
Diversity and inclusion in STEM - Oral evidence 18 May 2022
9:30am
  • Dr Claire Crawford (Research Fellow at Institute for Fiscal Studies)
  • Professor Dame Athene Donald (Master of Churchill College and Professor Emerita of Experimental Physics at University of Cambridge)
  • Dr Jasper Green (Her Majesty's Inspector, Schools and Subject Lead, Science at Ofsted Curriculum Unit)
10:15am
  • Clare Hayes (Deputy Head at Hyndland Secondary School)
  • Jane Lunnon (Head at Alleyn's School)
  • Mark Turner (Headteacher at Skipton High School for Girls)
11:00am
  • Rachel Youngman (Deputy Chief Executive at Institute of Physics)
  • Professor Ulrike Tillmann (President at London Mathematical Society)
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Wednesday 27 April 2022
9:20am Private
9:30am Public
Diversity and inclusion in STEM - Oral evidence 27 April 2022
9:30am
  • Katherine Sparkes MBE (CEO at Lightyear Foundation)
  • Dr Jasleen Jolly (Associate Professor in Vision and Eye Research and representative at Anglia Ruskin University and National Association of Disabled Staff Networks)
  • Dr Gayle Brewer (Senior Lecturer in Psychology and representative at University of Liverpool and National Association of Disabled Staff Networks)
10:15am
  • Katharine Birbalsingh CBE (Chair at Social Mobility Commission, and Headmistress at Michaela Community School)
11:00am
  • Dr Izzy Jayasinghe (Senior Lecturer and UKRI Future Leader Fellow, and representative at School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, and LGBTQ+ STEM)
  • Dr Katie Perry (Chief Executive at The Daphne Jackson Trust)
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Wednesday 16 March 2022
10:30am Public
Diversity and inclusion in STEM - Oral evidence 16 March 2022
10:30am
  • Professor Rachel Oliver FREng (Professor of Materials Science and representative at University of Cambridge and The Inclusion Group for Equity in Research and STEMM)
  • Professor Narender Ramnani (Professor of Neuroscience at Royal Holloway University of London)
9:30am
  • Sam Freedman (Senior Fellow at Institute for Government and Senior Adviser, Ark)
  • Russell Hobby (CEO at Teach First)
  • Claudenia Williams (Assistant Principal at Kingsley Academy)
Room 8, Palace of Westminster

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