Nearly half of Britain’s lesbian and gay engineers are not out at work, according to new research.
While 45.2% are out at work, 41.8% remain in the closet. The figures come from a survey carried out by the Institute of Engineering and Technology. Reasons cited by those who preferred not to reveal their sexual identities included a perception that colleagues wouldn’t be supportive; a sense that they might be excluded from social events and a glass ceiling when it comes to promotion. Many who worked internationally spoke of the problems of being ‘out’ when dealing with openly homophobic nations.
On a happier note EY (formerly Ernst and Young) have produced results from a survey demonstrating that companies with inclusive policies where LGBT people feel welcome have increased productivity. Companies with an LGBT-friendly environment coin an average of £70,000 p.a. more than companies that don’t.
LGBT History Month’s theme in 2013 was STEM and our November Lunch was held at Bletchley Park in honour of Alan Turing’s centenary.