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UPDATE! LGBTQ+ Diversity in STEM: How can businesses do more? | Gattaca Solutions
In 2021 we ran a series of Diversity in STEM webinars, examining the factors affecting equality, diversity & inclusion – as June arrives signalling the beginning of Pride month – now is as good a time as any to revisit some of the insights we learned there and some of the practical takeaways that were outlined for businesses aiming to become a more inclusive place.
We were delighted to sit down and catch up with one of our panellists, Dr. Alfredo Carpeneti, who joined us for our webinar ‘LGBTQ+ Diversity in STEM: How can businesses do more?’.
An Introduction to Dr. Alfredo Carpineti - Italian astrophysicist, science journalist, and social activist
Dr Alfredo Carpineti (he/him) is a gay Italian astrophysicist, science journalist, and social activist. He is the chair and founder of Pride in STEM, an award-nominated British charitable trust dedicated to supporting and showcasing LGBTQ+ people in science, technology, engineering, and maths.
Alfredo has been recognized as one of Attitude’s LGBTQ+ Trailblazers. The citation included “The astrophysicist and social activist amplifies LGBTQ+ voices who want to show that science is for everyone”.
Before we dive in, here's what you had to say...
Equity, diversity and inclusion is something we're discussing with clients all the time, not just during Pride month. It's something important to us internally and it's a journey we're very much in the process of making.
With this in mind we asked: how familiar are you with the of ED&I topic?
Here's what you had to say:
- 25% said they're very familiar and working on ED&I already
- 75% said they could definitely know more
And brilliantly, no one said they weren't sure what ED&I is!
Whether you're working on ED&I already or whether you're looking to learn more our discussion with Dr Alfredo Carpineti, as well as reflecting on our own journey, will hopefully offer some helpful insight.
LGBTQ+ in STEM: What do the statistics tell us?
2021
“It is estimated that the LGBTQ+ community is approximately 20% less represented in STEM fields than would be expected. And yet… not only is there a shortage of STEM talent globally, it is also well documented that diverse teams are more likely to reach scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations.”
“It is estimated that the LGBTQ+ community is approximately 20% less represented in STEM fields than would be expected.”
“A report a few years ago on the LGBTQ+ climate in physics highlighted some of the major issues faced by LGBTQ+ STEM professionals included a heterosexist climate that reinforces gender role stereotypes in STEM work environments, a culture that requires, or at least strongly encourages, LGBTQ+ people to remain closeted at work and a general lack of awareness about these issues among STEM professionals.”
2023
“Well, what I can tell you is that there has been very little data collection about the LGBTQ+ community in STEM since we last spoke. More broadly there has been some change in terms of an increase in hate crime in the UK for anyone in the LGBTQ+ community but specifically for trans and non-binary communities more so than for cis queer people.
“Homophobic hate crimes increasing by 41 per cent and transphobic crimes by 56 per cent in England and Wales – the “starkest” increase since 2012” (PinkNews, 2023)
These are some upsetting statistics but within STEM there hasn’t been a single data collection despite organisations taking inclusion and intersectionality seriously.
There are isolated studies, for example, just this month Metro the newspaper and New Scientist Jobs are doing a new survey of Attitudes of LGBTQ+ people in STEM – this is very good – but what it would be great to see would be the same founders of the surveys that do it, do it every five years so we can see how much has changed - to have tangible evidence that things are improving, things are getting worse – and the output of what can we do next?”
Are Businesses Aware of the Challenges Around Diversity & Inclusion?
2021
“Sincerely, I don’t think so. Not just businesses but also within academia and charities too. I don’t think it’s malice, there’s a lot of willingness to do better.
Data revealed that these issues don’t just affect the LGBTQ+ but are broader, to become more inclusive we must start with the widest principles, to make the widest amount of people comfortable and then look at and address barriers for specific communities to deliver an intersectional approach.”
2023
“There is more awareness around certain issues, but I can also see that especially communication to wider teams remains totally inadequate. It makes you wonder if at some point this ignorance is making it worse.
An example: a company recently partnered with a Transgender charity to create a thread of important things about trans issues on twitter - after about an hour of hate messages they deleted the thread and apologised, not to the transgender community but to their “followers”. The campaigns of attacks are well-coordinated and organized elsehwhere. Several organizations have done that this month. This show that this allyship was nothing but lip service for them. Not having the courage to stand for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The risk of social media it is something, I discuss this with every single person, company, or organisation that I work with; for members of the LGBTQ+ community that are online, the increased attacks and the general risks are obvious. People at that charity will have told the company, ‘You do this thread, close your replies, be careful’.
I feel that there is some improvement in some elements I’ve seen but there’s also those not taking us seriously when we discuss how bad things are – especially online.” Clearly, they did not take that seriously and they ended up siding and apologising to the bigots. What a message to send out on Pride month.
That is to say that when organisations undertake Pride activities it should be with the awareness that this is the reality for LGBTQ+ people all of the time, not just some of the time. If you want to be an ally, you need to walk the walk. It is not all sunshine and rainbows.
What can Businesses do Next?
2021
“Active allyship is key at an individual level: make yourselves aware of terms, and networks within the organisation.
At an organisational level: make sure your plan is visible and you’re accountable to what you want to achieve. Make sure you have strong policies and that there is visibility of those policies.”
2023
“I think ED&I is not something that should be the focus of the ED&I team only. The principals of ED&I need to be applied throughout the organisation so that when it comes to hiring processes, promotions, communications those principals need to be at the forefront of what is done.
If organisations want to be serious about ED&I then they need to have ED&I on every level otherwise it’s just rainbow washing and that's it. It needs to be taken seriously.“
One Piece of Advice
“I always advise businesses have clear and transparent action plans - I’d rather you demonstrate that you can take a few small steps than you promise me something I might want to hear but you’re never going to actually do.”
Learning Together
ED&I is a growing topic of conversation within STEM and an important one which facilitates learning, growth and change – it's a journey we’ve embarked on and one that we’re hoping you’ll join us for.
Though a couple of years ago now revisiting our webinar was refreshing reminder that business still have a long way to go – particularly within STEM.
To highlight a few key quotes from panellists:
- “We need to move from awareness to action”
- “Start with the widest principles...then look at barriers for specific communities”
- “The way you treat your people is a reflection of how you’ll treat our people.”
- “Be a force for good!”
If you missed it at the time, or if like me you’re keen to revisit the expertise and insight that was bought to light in the webinar, you can watch it here:
So, a couple of questions for you:
- Where are you at on your ED&I journey?
- Where do you want to be?
- How can we help you get there?
James Parnell and Graham Day are on hand to talk about your diversity and inclusion journey today!