Metro.co.uk and New Scientist Jobs have teamed up to conduct a global survey of LGBTQIA+ experiences in STEM industries.
Research into attitudes towards the community in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields is limited, but has often revealed a working environment in which LGBTQIA+ staff do not feel they can be open about their identity.
For example, a study of the US sector revealed more than 40% of respondents who identify as LGBTQIA+ were not out to their colleagues.
In a 2019 survey, 30% of LGBTQIA+ scientists – and half of transgender scientists – said they had considered leaving their job because of ‘an unfriendly or hostile climate’ or discrimination.
Outside of STEM, homophobic and transphobic hate crime increased sharply in the UK between 2019 and 2021.
However, many workplaces have dedicated support systems in place for LGBTQIA+ staff, and the survey aims to identify the positives as well as any negatives that need to be addressed.
Dr Alfredo Carpineti, chair and founder of the charity Pride In Stem, said: ‘It is very important to investigate the current attitudes towards LGBTQIA+ in science, technology, engineering, and maths and how they are changing, during this period of constant attacks on our community.
‘Previous surveys and studies have revealed that LGBTQIA+ people are more likely to experience professional devaluation, exclusion and harassment than cisgender heterosexual colleagues.
‘Many organisations have to step up to change things and it would be interesting to see if things are actually changing.’
Share your experiences
If you would like to take part in the Metro.co.uk and New Scientist Jobs LGBTQIA+ experience survey, you can do so here.
If you would like to discuss your experiences further, please share your email in the survey or contact katherine.fidler@metro.co.uk.
Metro.co.uk science and technology editor Katherine Fidler said: ‘We hope this survey will reveal that all LGBTQIA+ staff working in STEM are respected and well-represented, but previous research suggests this is not always the case. To address issues, we first need to identify them.
‘All information submitted through the survey will be anonymised, and all data protected. However, we also encourage any respondents who would like to share their experiences with our readers to let us know at the end of the survey.’
Viren Vadgama, sales manager at New Scientist Jobs, said: ‘This is a groundbreaking global survey for the LGBTQIA+ community unlike anything ever conducted before. We wanted to create a platform to share the communities’ experiences working in STEM and aim to spotlight our findings in the hope to improve workspaces for all.’
