Black and ethnic minority workers make up 12% of the UK workforce. According to McGregor-Smith Review, the employment rate for ethnic minorities in the UK is only 62.8%, compared with an employment rate for white workers of 75.6%. According to BBSTEM, just 6.2% of UK domicile students enrolled in STEM-related subjects at UK universities are black (4.8% Black African, 1.2% Black Caribbean, 0.2% Black Other).
Compared to their population percentage in the UK, black and Hispanic adults are grossly underrepresented among STEM college graduates. Black students earned 7% of STEM bachelor’s degrees as of 2018, the most recent year available, below their share of all bachelor’s degrees (10%) or their share of the adult population (12%). The percentage of Hispanic college graduates with a STEM degree –12%– remains lower than that of all college graduates (15%) in 2018. (Reference: STEM Jobs See Uneven Progress in Increasing Gender, Racial and Ethnic Diversity | Pew Research Center)
The National Center for Education Statistics reports that in 2015 the percentage of women of color attending higher education institutions who earned STEM degrees was:
Asian women: 5%
Black women: 2.9%
Latinas: 3.8%
Because women of color have been historically underrepresented in STEM majors at universities and in STEM careers, many women in the field struggle against the perception of working in a biased environment. Scientific American discovered that 45% of women in STEM leave their jobs because they feel underpaid and underrepresented.