To thrive, diversity and inclusion need to be at the heart of our STEM policies

Climate change, food scarcity, tackling the next global pandemic. So many of the challenges we face as a global community have science at their heart. This is why the UK needs to be an innovation nation, with innovation as part of our cultural DNA. We do not want to compete as a low-wage, low-skill economy on the global stage.

But building an innovation nation requires we build up and build out our science and technology base. That means attracting more young people into science and technology. It means inspiring more young people – and indeed people of every age – to study maths and science.

We, in the UK, haven’t been very good at sparking an interest in science amongst children, especially girls and those from Black, minority ethnic and economically disadvantaged households. Research shows that STEM-based toys are three times more likely to be targeted at boys, for example. These marketing tactics shape self-perceptions, with 33% of girls versus 60% of boys being likely to consider themselves to be best at a STEM subject. This inequity continues into the workplace; 73% of the STEM workforce are men whilst women make up only 14.5% of engineers.

There is even less of a representation of BAME groups and there are few programmes to support BAME students. Engineering UK’s 2022 report found that only 11.4% of engineering professionals were from an ethnic minority group. Diversity is not just a moral necessity; it is also an economic imperative. The McGregor-Smith Review found that increasing the career progression of BME employees would boost UK economy by £24bn.

We need to be very clear that diversity is not an optional add-on. STEM jobs pay better and are projected to be created at twice the rate of other jobs over the next five years, it is essential that they are open to everyone, and benefit from the talents of everyone.

That’s why at the centre of Labour’s science policy, is a target to raise total investment in research and development (R&D) to 3% of GDP by 2030. The greater South East receives more public R&D funding than the rest of the country combined. This concentration excludes the rest of the country from the growth, prosperity and opportunities science can provide.

Labour would invest in science and R&D to stoke the engine of high-skilled growth, to access new and diverse talent pools, and to catalyse regions that have been left out of science investment. We will champion universities, and clusters of universities, as engines of regional growth, providing them with the resources to collaborate and innovate together with local businesses to drive regional innovation.

Diversity needs to be measured, it needs to be visible and it must be possible to hold people to account for it. That is why Labour will make R&D more representative of the population it serves. Under our proposals, we are looking at mandatory reporting of gender and ethnicity pay gaps. Our strategy will tackle the historic underrepresentation of women and ethnic minorities across different sectors.

The all-party parliamentary group for diversity and inclusion in STEM, which I chair, launched the Equity in STEM workforce report – which outlines the barriers ethnic minorities along their career pathway. The APPG found that, in order to tackle inequity in STEM leaders from organisations across the private, public and voluntary sectors should work together to form and co-fund an employers’ coalition for STEM diversity to address the structural inequity in the STEM workforce and drive long-term change.

There are firms in the private sector, such as Nash Squared, which are already leading the way – closing the gap on gender pay, as well as implementing female-friendly policies such as policies on menopause in the workplace, paid child loss leave and flexible working patterns.

Addressing the current inequity in STEM now, will pay dividends in the future, as the next generation go on to plug the current STEM skills gap, ensuring the UK continues to be a world leader in scientific and technological innovation. Diversity and inclusion need to be at the heart of our STEM education, employment practices, policy development and digital economy if we are to thrive.

Representation matters – because everyone deserves these opportunities, and because the people who design our world should understand the full range of our experiences, the experiences and needs of us all, not simply taking the pale, male and privileged to be universal.