TORONTO -- A new report on the experience of LGBTQ+ professionals working in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in the United States has found that systemic inequalities persist in the workplace despite an advancement of queer civil rights over the last six decades.
According to the report published in the journal Science Advances, LGBTQ+ STEM professionals face persistent disadvantages compared to their straight counterparts, such as professional devaluation, harassment and other career limitations.
While research continues to indicate that this is a common issue affecting the general labour force, workers in STEM fields are pointing to a professional culture that often promotes the idea of ‘depoliticization’ or suppression of concerns perceived as social or political from day-to-day STEM work.
The report notes that the “discussion of LGBTQ inequality issues—or even the mere presence of openly LGBTQ-identifying persons—may be perceived in STEM contexts as violating depoliticization and threatening the objectivity of STEM.”
“Studies have confirmed what we anecdotally knew to be true,” Jessica Ware, assistant curator and assistant professor at the American Museum of Natural History told CTVNews.ca.
“Bias and discrimination are presistent within the STEM field and it is leading to lack of recruitment and retention of LGBTQ+ professionals.”
“There’s this fallacy that science is somehow immune to the issues of society, but scientists are experiencing the same type of discrimination that the general public is experiencing,” she added. “The system is set up for white male researchers who have female wives.”
Beyond the initial workplace issues such as hiring and wage discrimination, LGBTQ+ people – like other minority groups – in the workforce also report significant issues once they’ve secured a job.
According to the Science Advances report, LGBTQ+ professionals were 20.2 per cent more likely than their straight peers to experience professional devaluation and have colleagues discount their expertise. LGBTQ+ STEM professionals were also about 30 per cent more likely to have experienced harassment at work in the past year and were more likely to experience insomnia, stress and other depressive symptoms.
Data for the report was compiled through a survey of more than 25,000 full-time employed STEM professionals in the United States, more than 1,000 of whom identify as LGBTQ+. While the findings are primarily based on the experience of workers in the U.S., experts suggest that Canada has a similar problem.
“I think we have a false sense of security here,” says Colin Druhan, executive director of Pride At Work Canada. “Not actively discriminating against a group of people is not the same as dismantling barriers.”
He added, “You can have all the right policies and intentions and still have a workplace that isn’t inclusive.”
Druhan’s organization helps companies across the country build more diverse and inclusive workplaces. He says that support for LGBTQ+ workers does not begin and end upon disclosure of their gender or sexual identity.
“How do you ensure that someone continues to be successful?” Druhan asks. “The lifecycle of their career needs to be supported in a very specific way and they need to be put in positions where they can advance just like everyone else.”
While queer scientists continue to call attention to systemic inequalities within the STEM fields, they are also praising initiatives like the annual LGBTQ+ STEM conference for bringing the humanity of people into the discussion of science.
“Scientists love data and now we’re staring at it,” says Jessica Ware of the report’s latest findings. “We should use this data to plan how we recruit and support staff.”
