Written Evidence Submitted by the British Science Association

(DIV0044)

Executive Summary

1. The British Science Association (BSA) is pleased to see that the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee have opened this statutory inquiry into Diversity in STEM. Greater attention on this issue is much needed, and looks forward to reading the inquiry findings and recommendations.
2. The BSA has evidence that inequity in STEM is entrenched throughout society, education and employment in the UK. Marginalised communities are systematically excluded from the workplace, from educational opportunities and from engaging with science in society at large.
3. Society: The BSA believes all people and communities should have the opportunity to engage regardless of whether they study or work in STEM. Lack of diversity and inclusion in STEM includes exclusion from STEM engagement. The BSA runs community engagement programmes (funded by UKRI). Community-led engagement helps to drive more diverse and inclusive engagement with science in society.  The BSA recommends the inquiry:

• visit some of the community-led projects taking place around the UK as part of British Science Week 2022 (11 – 20 March) to better understand what diverse and inclusive STEM engagement looks like

4. Youth voice: All young people have the right to have their voice heard on issues relating to science in society. The BSA is active in polling young people to gain insight into their views, helping to build long-term investment in STEM. The BSA recommends the inquiry:
• consult young people on addressing diversity issues in STEM to future proof the work and improve overall quality of findings.
5. Education: Through work with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM and its flagship BSA programmes (e.g. CREST Awards), the BSA has found significant evidence of barriers to access in education for minoritised groups. This has a direct negative impact on access to the workforce and engagement with STEM in adulthood. The BSA recommends the inquiry:
• take up the relevant recommendations and consult the expert contributors of the 2020 Equity in STEM Education report for evidenced suggestions for action.
• review the need to improve access to STEM education enrichment initiatives and support such schemes to evaluate their ability to increase attainment, uptake and engagement with STEM at all levels in compulsory education.
6. Workforce: The UK has an extensive and well documented STEM skills gap, set to increase. Combatting systemic inequity in STEM education and employment will not only create a more innovative and productive society but also help widen the pool of talent and close the skills gap. The BSA recommends the inquiry:
• take up the relevant recommendations and consult the expert contributors of the 2021 Equity in the STEM Workforce report for evidenced suggestions for action.

About the British Science Association 

7. The British Science Association is a charity that works to improve people’s connection with science. We have organised live events between scientists and the public since 1831 and, in recent decades, have sought to collect and share expertise among the science engagement practitioner community.  
8. The BSA has three core pillars of work: education, engagement and influencing (convening stakeholders from across different sectors).The BSA’s new 10-year strategy focusses on three key objectives: for science to be more relevant to wider society, more representative of marginalised groups, and more connected; to address structural inequities in science engagement.  
9. The BSA provides the secretariat for the APPG on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM, runs the UK-wide educational initiative CREST Awards and the British Science Festival amongst other activities and programmes.

Introduction

10. The BSA welcomes this inquiry on Diversity in STEM, a critical issue across the workforce and society.
11. The STEM sector is a vital economic sector accounting for 18% of the UK’s total workforce[1]. However, it remains exclusionary for marginalised groups in the UK, such as Black people, women, disabled people, and people from LGBT+ communities. This exclusion is present from education to the workforce. Combatting structural inequity will improve growth, creating sustainable economic prosperity and opportunities for future generations.
12. The BSA believes that for a more scientifically engaged society (and the benefits that come with it) there is a need to look beyond STEM workplaces and routes to employment, and to consider peoples’ everyday connections to STEM.
13. Research shows that it is not just STEM academia and industry that are exclusionary and unrepresentative of society. There is also a lack of diversity in the groups of people who feel engaged and connected with science. The most recent Public Attitudes to Science survey (2019) found that women are twice as likely than men to feel unconnected to science (30% vs 14%)[2]. Additionally, BSA research suggests that racially minoritised people, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and people with lower levels of education are more likely to feel unconnected to science than White people, people from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, and people with higher levels of education[3].
14. Research carried out by the ASPIRES 2 project, which explores the concept of “science capital”, found that the factors that shape STEM aspirations and identities in young people are “heavily influenced by existing social inequalities such as class, gender, and ethnicity”. They found that dominant representations of science as being associated with “cleverness” and “masculinity” made many young people feel less connected to science, and that the way science is represented in everyday life was influential in shaping young people's impressions of whether they were “suited” to science[4].
15. This submission outlines the BSA’s evidence on societal STEM inequity, educational STEM inequity and workforce STEM inequity.

BSA Evidence

Societal STEM inequity

16. The BSA organises engagement programmes with the aim of making STEM more relevant, representative, and connected to society. The BSA believes that, for too long, science has been the preserve of professional scientists and that STEM should be open to everyone, regardless of background or experience. Therefore, the BSA puts diversity and inclusion at the heart of its activities, and work with people who are underrepresented in science.

Community Engagement

17. The BSA believes that all people and communities in the UK should be supported to engage with STEM, regardless of whether they work in or study science. The BSA believes that in many cases, it is best for historically marginalised and excluded groups to decide how to structure, develop, and execute their engagement with STEM for themselves, rather than have initiatives imposed on them.
18. The BSA offers several UKRI-funded schemes enabling community organisations to engage with STEM. They include a grant scheme for communities to run STEM activities in their local area during British Science Week, a Community Leaders programme for supporting people to run more effective STEM engagement activities, a Community Buddies programme for introducing community leaders to STEM researchers, a Community Engagement Network for sharing news and best practice, and a Making Connections fund for community groups to collaborate with established science engagement activities such as science festivals.
19. The BSA Community Engagement programmes have shown that grassroots and community-led initiatives are an effective way to engage minoritised groups with STEM activities. An estimated 77,000 people have taken part in activities funded through the British Science Week Community Grant Scheme: nearly one in six had a physical or mental health condition; two thirds were female; around a third were from Black, Asian, or minority ethnic backgrounds.
20. One Community Engagement case study is Rochdale Science Initiative, founded by Mohammed Rahman after stumbling across the BSA grant schemes in 2017 when looking for an activity that would be suitable for his gifted, “science enthusiast” son. Mohammed created an annual event for his community because, when he visited local science attractions, he saw that “Most of the time it felt like we were the only Asian family inside that museum. They don't find it relevant to their culture, to their beliefs”. Several years later, Mohammed says “I'm in constant dialogue with researchers. I'm using the word ‘science’ every single day in most of my sentences which isn't something that I used to do before. I'm not a specialist, but I'm an advocate for science.”
21. The BSA suggests that the inquiry visit some of the community-led and grassroots activities taking place around the UK during British Science Week 2022 (11 – 20 March) to better understand what diverse and inclusive STEM engagement looks like.

Youth voice on science in society

22. The BSA believes all young people have a right to have their voice heard in discussions over science’s role in their lives, communities, and society at large. Despite this, research undertaken by the BSA in 2017 found that young people do not feel able to have their say on the issues affecting their future.
23. The BSA conducts regular youth surveys and facilitated workshops as part of the Future Forum programme, which involves young people in suggesting innovations and policy ideas for societal challenges. Topics have included genetics research, medical data, ageing societies, AI, clean growth, and the future of mobility.
24. Polling by the BSA found 9 in 10 young people felt that politicians and scientists were not addressing them directly when discussing the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts. The data indicated a fall in trust between May 2020 and November 2020, with young people less likely to trust scientists (35% down from 41%) teachers (21% down from 27%) and politicians (6% down from 9%) to tell them the truth about COVID-19.
25. The same polling found that, in May 2020, 37% of young people were more interested in a scientific career as a result of the pandemic. The BSA believes it is critical that this appetite is nurtured by industry and government, to build a diverse and sustainable STEM workforce for the future. The BSA suggests that listening to and involving young people on societal discussions about STEM are an important way to build long-term interest and trust.

Educational STEM inequity

APPG on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM

26. In its 2020 report Equity in STEM Education, the APPG, found that inequity in the workplace could be linked with a wide variety of factors in education, from timing of initially starting school, to parental influence, to narrow and stereotypical role models. It was notable that issues earlier in education are more widely experienced, while as educational pathways increasingly diverge as students get older there is greater variation in the challenges and problems encountered, underlining the importance of acting early. The inquiry report highlighted several barriers to equity in STEM education, described below.[5].
27. The UK lacks a joined-up Government approach to tackle the causes of inequity in STEM education. There is clear evidence of inequity at each stage of the education journey and Government must plan policy holistically with the input of experts, recognising that piecemeal interventions have limited effect.
28. Current teaching provision is not strong enough to lead to positive outcomes for young people. STEM teaching quality varies and training and professional development is inconsistent.
29. Wider access to good careers education is lacking. Pupils are unaware of the breadth of STEM careers and good careers education is inconsistent. 
30. Schools’ role in GCSE option selection is leading to inequity, especially in the most disadvantaged areas. Double and Triple Award science access varies greatly and enables exclusion to STEM A-levels and Higher Education.
31. These findings were gathered pre-pandemic but the barriers persist with greater negative impact post-pandemic[6].
32. The APPG on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM recommends the following to help address structural inequity in education:
• There should be a minister responsible for addressing inequity within the education system and widening participation within higher and further education
• STEM education should be more relevant to the lives of all young people, appeal to a wider cross section of young people and do more to create the conditions to enable students to experience STEM as inclusive and ‘for me’.
• There should be more action to address teacher shortages in STEM subjects and more support for teachers to access to specialist skills and knowledge linked to improving equity
• Changes to careers support and guidance suggested by the Careers Strategy for England (2017) must be fully implemented and followed up to ensure it is consistent across all schools and reaching all young people.
• The Government should take steps to address the existing inequalities in provision of Double Award and Triple Science at GCSE.
• There should be a review of fundamental changes to STEM GCSEs which considers equity issues, providing findings to those preparing the next round of reforms.
33. The BSA suggests the inquiry reviews page 43 of the Equity in STEM Education report for a full list of experts involved in diversity in STEM education, and considers approaching them for input.

CREST Awards

34. The UKRI-funded CREST Awards scheme is the BSA’s flagship education programme for young people, providing STEM enrichment activities to inspire and engage 5-to-19-year-olds. CREST Awards give students the chance to participate in hands-on science through investigations and enquiry-based learning. They can be run in schools, clubs, youth groups, other organisations or at home. The Awards are well regarded, high-quality and a tangible recognition of success.
35. Over 52,000 students aged 11-to-18, across the UK get a CREST Award in a typical year, 50% of whom are girls.
36. In 2016 the BSA commissioned the Quantifying CREST impact report[7] to evaluate the impact of the programme. It found statistically significant evidence of positive impact on socio-economic inequity:
• Pupils not entitled to free school meals (FSM) taking Silver CREST Award achieved around half a GCSE grade higher, while pupils entitled to FSM  achieved around two thirds of a grade higher.
37. The BSA suggests that the inquiry considers how to improve access and evaluation of STEM enrichment activities like the CREST Awards, to ensure they are inclusive and effective for all young people.

Workforce STEM inequity

APPG on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM

38. With a workforce of almost six million (5.9m) people, the STEM sector is critical to the UK Government’s aim to be a ‘global science superpower’. However, opportunities to work in, learn about, experience and impact the direction of STEM are only available to a small number of people.
39. Evidence from the National Audit Office suggests there is a mismatch between the STEM skills needed and those available in the UK[8]. The shortage of STEM skills in a number of important sectors has been estimated to cost businesses £1.5bn per year[9].
40. Tackling exclusion of marginalised groups will help in addressing these skills shortages, and create more equitable economic opportunity. Inclusion will lead to a more innovative, inclusive and productive STEM sector.
41. In its 2021 report Equity in the STEM Workforce, the APPG highlighted significant evidence of inequity in the workforce for all marginalised groups, especially along intersectional lines. [10]
42. Data analysis found that 65% of the STEM workforce are White men and disabled people of all ethnicities are marginalised within the workforce. The gap in representation between STEM workers and the rest of the workforce is larger for disabled women than disabled men. The majority of disabled workers in the rest of the workforce are women (59%), in the STEM workforce only one third of disabled workers are women. 
43. The APPG found:
• The STEM workforce is less diverse than the wider workforce but consistent data collection and sharing is lacking.
• There is a need for the Government to take a multi-pronged approach to drive equity in the STEM workforce.
• Intersectional barriers continue from STEM education into the workforce.
• There is awareness of structural inequity in some large STEM organisations, but no consensus on solutions. Little information was received, and relatively little is available, concerning SMEs in the STEM sector.
• There is already considerable inequity in STEM but COVID-19 is making it worse.
44. The APPG recommends:
• The UK Government and STEM organisations, across the private, public and voluntary sectors should commit to leading a ‘STEM Diversity Decade of Action’ to tackle the historic and systemic underrepresentation of minoritised groups at all levels in the sector.
1. The Prime Minister and UK Government should set a bold vision for a diverse and equitable STEM sector at the heart of their ambitions for the UK to become a ‘global science superpower’. This includes implementing EDI responsibility into the new National Science and Technology Council.
• The UK Government must deliver a statutory workforce data strategy and drive forward changes in policy and legislation to support employers to improve equity for minoritised communities in many sectors of the UK workforce, including STEM.
1. This includes expanding the scope of Protected Characteristics in the Equality Act (2010) to include socio-economic disadvantage, paternity and shared parental leave and update the language used in the Act concerning gender reassignment. As well as initiating work to review award criteria for sectoral funding to ensure diversity and inclusion best practice is integrated in its approach.
• The UK Government and STEM organisations must quickly look to address and reverse worsening inequity within the STEM workforce as a result of the pandemic.
1. The APPG calls for HM Treasury to produce a longitudinal study of the impact of COVID-19 on the STEM sector and wider workforce and target support and resources to areas of the country where the STEM sector has been most disrupted by the pandemic.
45. The BSA suggests the inquiry reviews page 80 of the Equity in the STEM Workforce report for a full list of experts involved in STEM workforce diversity, and considers approaching them for input.

Further Suggestions

46. There is a consistent tendency for data to report on single characteristics, which prevents a full demographic overview of the workforce. Much data collection and analysis has focused on gender and (to a lesser extent) ethnicity.
47. Many organisations use the categorisation Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) to report ethnicity data. This broad classification can cause problems by masking and conflating factors such as youth unemployment, economic inactivity, and labour force exit and entry. It also limits the extent to which the workforce can be analysed, and experiences understood.
48. Across all settings, data collection is lacking an intersectional approach that focuses on the impact of multiple diversity characteristics on peoples’ real ‘lived experience’ of STEM.
49. The BSA has heard that solutions such as employee networks and reverse mentoring are often suggested as a way to share ideas, experiences, and lived experience on diversity in STEM. However, there is a risk that these activities place a high burden on those experiencing structural disadvantage, or create an expectation that it is their role to educate majority groups[11].
50. Although it is important that the inquiry takes steps to uncover the experiences of people currently underrepresented in STEM, requiring people to submit written evidence risks exposing hidden identities, adding to their workload, and asking them to recount traumatic experiences. This can be challenging, exhausting, may heighten stereotype threat (the fear of confirming a negative stereotype) and may ultimately increase the likelihood of minoritized groups deciding to leave STEM. The BSA suggests that in the next stage of the inquiry the Committee offer simple, anonymous, and safe ways for people to contribute evidence, and ensure that oral evidence and visits are inclusive to minoritized groups.

(January 2022)