Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Intersectionality Statement

The UK research community lacks diversity, particularly of minority ethnic groups, and visibly so in relation to racialised minorities. Behavioural Research-UK is committed to fostering equality, diversity, inclusion and intersectionality (EDII) as essential components of exemplary practices in behavioural research and its translation.

Our Commitment to EDII

The BR-UK Leadership Hub is committed to recognising and highlighting EDII as part of leading best practices in behavioural research and its translation.  Our Position Statement outlines our intentions. 

In BR-UK Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Intersectionality (EDII) principles will be embedded in all aspects of our work to ensure all members of the workforce including those attending BR-UK events and webinars are treated with respect whilst being provided with equal and fair opportunities for participation and advancement. 

 

We recognise that equal representation across a range of backgrounds and characteristics enhances the working environment. A broad range of research contributions makes for a fairer scientific environment that produces better outputs that can be of direct use and relevance for societal issues, including those which directly affect minority and or underrepresented groups. As a result, we aim to create a transparent organisation and network with the principles of EDII embedded in their work and practice.

 

The EDII Working Group has been created as an advisory group which reports to the BR-UK Leadership Group. The EDII Group is co-led by Professor Ann Phoenix and Dr Sharon Cox (both of University College London) and the current members of the EDII Group are:

  • Dr Julze Alejandre, BR-UK Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh
  • Dr Nia Coupe, BR-UK Research Fellow, University of Manchester
  • Professor Oliver Escobar, Professor of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation, University of Edinburgh
  • Sancha Martin, BR-UK Hub Manager, University of Edinburgh
  • Dr Laura McGowan, Senior Lecturer, Queen's University Belfast
  • Professor Graham Moore, Professor in the School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University
  • Dr Lesley Uttley, Senior Research Fellow, University of Sheffield
  • Liza Zhang, BR-UK Research Assistant, University College London/ PhD Student University of Bath.

 

All of our documentation is available from the Edinburgh Research Archive or by clicking the link below.  Please review and reuse wherever it is useful to do so.  We ask that if you do reuse parts or all of our documents, that you cite our work so that we are given appropriate credit for the work.  The DOI to cite is: http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/5453 which relates to all of our EDII governance documentation.  

 

 

How will we live up to this commitment?

We will: 

  • treat everyone with respect and dignity and ensure that we listen to others, learn, develop and progress ourselves as individuals and our team as a whole as a result.
  • review our policies regularly and accept feedback on them at any time.
  • place EDII at the heart of all we do – including our logistics, operations and research activities.
  • consider all aspects of policies, procedures and processes within BR-UK to ensure that they are developed with EDII at their heart wherever possible, for example in our Commissioning Fund, public engagement, meeting organisation and so on.
  • collaborate with others to facilitate peer review and critically engage with similar multi-disciplinary, multi-partner research groups.

How have we defined Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Intersectionality?

We have adapted the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) definitions of EDI and defined intersectionality as follows.

 

Equalities: Providing equal access to resources and opportunities to all individuals and all groups. 

Additionally, we also include equity as a key concept.  Equity is trying to understand and give people what they need to achieve their potential; promoting notions of fairness, justice, entitlements and rights. The table below highlights the differences between these two terms and why each is important to consider.  

 Equality Equity 

Approach 

Focuses on sameness 

Focuses on fairness 

Resource allocation 

Distributes resources evenly across groups 

Distributes resources based on the needs of different individuals and groups 

Outcome aims 

Equal treatment 

Equal outcomes 

Focus 

Individual/Group 

Socio-structural processes/systems 

 

Diversity: Having diverse research approaches and people from a broad range of backgrounds and levels that reflect wider society. 

 

Inclusion: Welcoming and treating equally individuals and groups from all backgrounds. Engaging with each person as an individual and valuing all colleagues. Supporting a sense of belonging that is respectful of people for who they are. Providing an environment where people feel supported to enabled to work toward their goals.  

 

Intersectionality: Understanding that no social identity, characteristic or background exists in isolation from others and that disadvantage cannot be understood without analysing and understanding the ways in which everybody is multiply positioned. Intersectionality is a framework for understanding how various aspects of a person's social and political identities—such as gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, and others—intersect to create unique experiences of advantage or disadvantage. Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, it highlights that these identities cannot be examined in isolation from one another as they are interconnected and shape individual's experiences in complex ways. In research, it is important to recognise differences within the groups we are focusing on and commonalities across groups. This means considering intragroup inequalities and considering which differences make a difference to what we are studying.  As colleagues, intersectionality means considering multiple positioning in recruitment, welcoming and treating equally individuals and groups from all backgrounds and engaging with each person as an individual and valuing all colleagues. It also encourages the development of a sense of belonging that is respectful of people and providing an environment where people feel supported to work toward their individual and collective goals. 

How and where does public engagement fit?

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and public engagement, are often viewed as separate sets of goals and processes within research projects and programmes. However, they are highly interconnected. As recognised within the NIHR Research Design Service EDI toolkit, truly diverse research teams are “more likely to conceive of, design and conduct research that will meet the needs of a diverse population that includes underserved and under-represented groups”. A diverse research team, which includes members who share characteristics with the populations with whom they are conducting research, may also be better positioned to build relationships with diverse public contributors. Hence, EDI, and meaningful public involvement, come together around a shared goal of ensuring that research meets the needs of all of society, including its most under-served groups. Examples include areas such as neurodevelopmental research, where research practice is being transformed by teams of neurodiverse researchers, working together with neurodiverse members of the public, to develop and pursue research agendas. 

Terms of Reference for Our EDII Working Group

Below is a strategic extract from the Terms of Reference which outlines how our group operates.
Reporting Structure

The EDII Working Group is an advisory body which provides guidance on EDII to the BR-UK Leadership Team.  

Remit

This group serves to review and appraise progress/action required to address the nine action points outlined in the position statement and point three in particular which includes:

  • Considering how we partner with wider science, policy and practice communities including various minoritised groups
  • Communicating our work and our findings in ways which are inclusive and broad ranging
  • Widening our expertise in science-related EDII issues & embed these in research practice
  • Providing advice and assistance to members of the Hub as and when needed.
  • Bringing together learning from all parts of BR-UK. 

Additionally, this group will:

  • Review the BR-UK EDII position statement on a regular basis
  • Undertake an initial benchmarking exercise to collate relevant information on EDII characteristics of the research team and to review changes to this over time
  • Connect, collaborate and share learning with other institutions to improve EDII approaches and implementation
  • Provide advice and input to the development of the BR-UK Access and BR-UK Inclusion and Commissioning Fund policies and principles to ensure EDII considerations are embedded within them
  • It will signpost people to appropriate resources and provide support wherever it is possible to do so.
Meeting Frequency and Confidentiality

This group will meet approximately 3 times per year as a minimum and ad hoc as required. 

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