Aston University research project – lived experiences of women in STEM and mental health
Earlier this year, Aston University collaborated with Brunel University and Manchester Metropolitan University on a research project exploring the mental health experiences of women working in STEM research and innovation.
WISE supported the project by engaging women in STEM to take part in one-to-one in-depth interviews. These ranged from 50 to 90 minutes long.
The aim of the project was to develop knowledge and guidelines on how to support the careers and wellbeing of women who experience mental health challenges whilst working within STEM research and innovation.
The data provided insights into the lived experiences of women with mental health issues and identified four key issues that were consistent triggers across the interviewees. These were workload, high performance expectations, bullying and microaggressions, and isolation and exclusion.
As well as creating comprehensive case studies highlighting the issues women within the industry face, the research team developed a resource to address the challenges and barriers. They created guidelines for employers to help them take action to implement the appropriate support for those experiencing mental health issues within the workplace.
Aston University recently published the full findings and supporting resources.