How Can We Make the STEM Workforce More Equitable? A New Report Suggests Next Steps

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM published a report in July 2021, based on evidence from over 85 organizations and individuals, four evidence roundtables with over 40 attendees, and additional desk research from over 150 sources. The report found that inequity in the STEM workforce is widespread for minoritised groups, intersecting across ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual identity, location, and socio-economic status, and has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The STEM sector, which accounts for 18% of the UK’s total workforce, is losing valuable skills, experiences, and perspectives due to this lack of representation. The report recommends a cross-Government approach to address these issues, and calls for a "STEM Diversity Decade of Action" to tackle the systemic under-representation of minoritised groups at all levels in the sector.