Unsurprisingly, in our divided society the opportunity to participate in the scientific institutions is limited for large segments of the population. Many minority groups are starkly underrepresented in scientific workforce. This is especially true for Black and Hispanic women who collectively represent just 4% of the STEM workforce. This underrepresentation extends to students from low-income schools regardless of race and gender, with students from low-income public schools half as likely to complete a STEM major as students from higher-income public schools. Discrimination and structural biases also limit the participation of the LGBTQ+ community and those with disabilities.
The scientific workforce then reflects the greater divides in society.