In the UK, many politicians stem from a very tailored background, with the most common being studying politics at either Oxford or Cambridge, and then either going directly into politics or a think tank as an intermediary step.  Research from the University of Bath explains that just 17% of current British politicians hold a degree in a STEM subject, which ensures that parliament lacks the cognitive diversity to be truly effective.

The authors illustrate that despite 46% of UK graduates emanating from STEM subjects, this is not reflected in parliament, where social sciences dominate.  This lack of diversity has come to the fore during science-based issues, such as Covid-19 and climate change.

The research found that it was more likely for politicians with science backgrounds to raise policy issues in STEM-related areas than their peers from a social science background.  Indeed, the STEM-based politicians were found to spend 10% more of their time on STEM-related issues, with this especially so if they had also worked in a STEM field before becoming a politician.

Educational diversity

“We know that diversity matters in Parliament and this cuts across gender, ethnicity, age,” the researchers say. “Diversity of educational and occupational background has been less well-acknowledged, but the dominance of the social sciences matters too in particular as policymakers are facing up to increasingly complex challenges underpinned by science and data.”

“Political parties have a role to play here in widening the pool of candidates and actively recruiting individuals with STEM backgrounds to stand for election. For those already in Parliament with social sciences backgrounds, we should do more to upskill them to ensure they have good scientific literacy and knowledge. Ultimately though, we need a diverse Parliament with different expertise and experiences. Achieving this can help us improve the robustness of policymaking.”

There were also some interesting gender divides in terms of who was raising STEM issues in parliament, with women over twice as likely to propose policy changes than men with a similar background.  The authors suggest this could be because women who have actually pursued a career in a STEM field have already had to battle to overcome various societal barriers, which has made them more likely to speak up on issues they encounter.

“The differences we found between the behavior of men and women MPs with STEM backgrounds were stark and surprising. It seems women with a STEM background are far more likely to become passionate STEM advocates in Parliament than men,” the researchers conclude. “This is likely partly a result of more women MPs holding degrees in life sciences subjects, which lend themselves to better engagement with the healthcare issues which predominate on the policy agenda. However, it also highlights the importance of intersectionality—the interactions between the various different background characteristics of any individual—in understanding how our elected representatives prioritize different policy issues.”