Crosspost: Bullying and harassment are rife in astronomy, poll suggests

Written By: Phillip Ball for Nature

Bar chart displaying the results of a survey on experiences of bullying and harassment in the Royal Astronomical Society community. Credit: Royal Astronomical Society

Bullying and harassment are rife in astronomy and geophysics in Britain and perhaps other regions, according to the results of a survey conducted last year by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) in London. Among 661 researchers polled, more than half of whom were in the United Kingdom, 44% said they had experienced issues in the previous two years.

“The results from the survey are very concerning indeed, and we must act to change this unacceptable situation,” says RAS president Emma Bunce, an astrophysicist at the University of Leicester, UK.

RAS diversity officer Aine O’Brien, who conducted the survey with RAS education, outreach and diversity officer Sheila Kanani, says, “We knew from anecdotal data and other evidence that there was likely to be a sector-wide problem, and I wasn’t super shocked by the trends of the findings — but I was certainly shocked by the extent.”

Read the rest of the article here at: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02024-5.

For more references on discrimination in STEM, check out these two, great papers:
Race and Racism in the Geosciences and Double jeopardy in astronomy and planetary science: Women of color face greater risks of gendered and racial harassment