MRS inclusion report highlights anxiety in research

The latest report on inclusion, equality and diversity (IED) found that 44% of respondents in the UK research sector reported suffering from anxiety, while 40% said they suffer from a mental health issue.

Of those who face mental health issues, 77% said they had been medically diagnosed, but only 57% of those individuals had informed their manager or HR department.

The online (CAWI) survey of 747 respondents also found that women account for over half ( 58%) of full-time employees in the sector, but only 38% of women reached senior management level compared to 50% of men.

Additionally, only 10% of full-time employees surveyed identified as BAME, while 78% identified as white British. The research found that 29% of those identifying as BAME work in senior management roles, while the percentage of people identifying as white British in senior management was 43%.

MRS has called on chief executives to sign a new Manifesto for Opportunity, pledging to make five commitments towards safer and more representative workplaces. The pledges include publishing pay statistics annually, working towards government targets for women and BAME people at board level and improving recruitment practices.

Jane Frost, chief executive, MRS, said: “At MRS we are driven by our mantra, ‘evidence matters,’ but we need to lead by example and demonstrate that opportunity matters too.  As the sector that provides insight and evidence, we must be representative of the changing world around us and we believe that the only barriers to progress should be personal choice and professional capability. 

“While some of the figures in our latest sector report remain disappointing, this is an important process and we encourage other sectors and companies to open their books, take stock and implement effective IED policies – only then will change happen.”

The report follows the launch of the #MRSPride network, which aims to provide a platform for LGBTQ+ talent in the research sector.

The Where We Stand: Inclusion, Equality and Diversity (IED) Industry Report can be downloaded here.