Field of view
In light of the Black Lives Matter movement, the barriers that hold back diversity in astronomy and geophysics need to be addressed
As a British-Indian woman, growing up, I sometimes felt a bit awkward about my career path into the space industry. I was often surrounded by doctors, dentists and pharmacists, and the elder generation didn’t understand why I might want to pursue a career in astrophysics.
Today, I hope to inspire young people from all backgrounds to pursue a career in astronomy or geophysics, regardless of ethnicity, gender or social mobility. I work with the Committee on Diversity in Astronomy and Geophysics (CDAG) at the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and other organisations to study and improve diversity, but this is no mean feat.
One of the defining features of space and astronomy is that it should be accessible to everyone. We are one human race, on one planet, all looking up at the same sky. However, the people involved in astronomy and geophysics are overwhelmingly white, male and from the older generation. There are very few realistic role models for black students, and when it comes to the opportunity for Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) young people to continue into further education and academia, there is a broken pipeline.
While there is some representation of minority ethnic scientists in our field, there are almost no black British astronomers in the UK. The last demographic survey from the RAS in 2016 shows that 95 per cent of British respondents were white, compared with 87 per cent of the general population, and out of 903 respondents only one identified as black and British.
Family has a significant impact on the career choices of BAME children. Vocational careers are thought of more favourably, and a degree in physics often isn’t given the same significance as a career in medicine or accounting.
At the RAS we don’t want to speak on behalf of the BAME community or assume what this community needs or wants, but we also don’t want to lay the burden at their feet. However, that doesn’t mean we are doing nothing.
Over the last few years at the RAS we have run one-off events with charities like Generating Genius and the Reach Foundation, and organisations such as Black British in STEM and the Institute of Physics. We held a nationwide screening of Hidden Figures for black and non-white school children (mostly girls), and had over 400 students take part. We regularly participate in Black History Month and we have presented posters showcasing black astronomers and geophysicists in history. But we need to do more.
Our goal is to inspire more young people from BAME backgrounds to undergo STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning, and we have created a plan for engaging with more black astronomers and geophysicists. Action points include: a call out to our members (Fellows) for black Fellows to get more involved in our work, including joining CDAG; a call for more nominations from BAME researchers, showcasing black astronomers and geophysicists across the globe; and working with funding councils to fix the broken pipeline in the space industry.
Not only do we want to understand why these challenges and barriers exist, but we want to ensure that no future astronomers feel unwelcome in our field. After all, we all share the same sky and planet, no matter where we’re from or the colour of our skin.