Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
In the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are core aspects of the university experience. Universities need to reflect societal diversity, create spaces for critical reflections on fundamental assumptions, and challenge discriminatory barriers. These cut across numerous aspects of university life including teaching, research, hiring, student recruitment, events, and more. At the same time, we must create welcoming and inclusive spaces where this can take place.
The PBS EDI committee is a space where students and staff can raise EDI-related issues. It is a forum for critical reflection on teaching, research, and student activities, and to organise events that celebrate diversity and inclusion.
We meet every term to discuss any issues that have emerged.
Our main contact is via email, pbs.edi@lse.ac.uk, where we will let you know about any upcoming events, news and initiatives. Please use this email to contact us with any information, issues or topics.
EDI at LSE
Our commitment to EDI is embedded in the LSE Ethics Code and strategy. LSE strives to enable every member of the school community to excel, by investing in every part of LSE community; by facilitating lasting relationships with our alumni, friends and partners; by ensuring that LSE works for everyone.
The School is committed to a working and learning environment where people can achieve their full potential free from any form of discrimination, harassment or bullying and is committed to providing an inclusive culture of equality, diversity and respect between individuals. Read the LSE Policy.
LSE’s EDI Office is the primary contact point for EDI issues throughout the School. Their work is informed by LSE's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2017–2022, which was developed in the context of the Equality Act 2010, , and the LSE Ethics Code. The EDI office also provides support to a number of staff networks.
Email the LSE EDI team at edi@lse.ac.uk.
For LSE students
There are dedicated LSE services that are here to support you including the Student Wellbeing Service, including counsellors, mental health advisors and LSE Peer Supporters, Disability and Mental Health Service, as well as LIFE study advisers.
Staff Wellbeing
Find resources to support your physical, professional and mental wellbeing including links to the Staff Counselling Service, Professional wellbeing information and physical wellbeing resources across the School.
EDI in PBS
The EDI committee serves to make PBS an open and inclusive space for learning and working where students and staff feel accepted, welcomed, and supported. It encourages dialogue and critical reflection and adheres to the following aims and principles.
Aims
- To represent EDI considerations in a structured way at all departmental levels, including teaching, administration, and strategic reviews.
- To critically evaluate hiring processes and student recruitment in the department to foster more equal and diverse hiring and recruitment.
- To push towards an inclusive and open culture in the department.
- To create a safe and open space for students and staff to learn, engage with each other and achieve their potential.
Principles
- To approach problem-identification and problem-solving from an intersectional perspective.
- To welcome difficult conversations and recognise that being challenged is part of the process of achieving a more just and equal higher education environment in the department.
- When possible, use data-driven analyses to identify and understand problems from an intersectional perspective.
- To equip students with the skills to work in a global and diverse world.
Activities
- To create an accessible and inclusive curriculum that enable all students to see themselves and their backgrounds reflected [1]
- To work closely with teams across LSE to provide guidance on EDI issues and facilitate training
- To promote and organise EDI events for staff and students
- To help staff and students to consider EDI in their practice
- To audit EDI practices, as they are progressing within the department
[1] It recognises that the issues need to be considered throughout the curriculum from the conception, through content, learning and teaching, assessment, to feedback and review.
Staff and students in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science are encouraged to follow these guidelines in order to foster an inclusive environment for all gender identities. However, they are optional. We ask people to only share pronouns if they feel comfortable doing so.
Pronouns are "words we use to refer to people’s gender in conversation - for example, ‘he’ or ‘she’. Some people may prefer others to refer to them in gender neutral language and use pronouns such as they/their and ze/zir." (Stonewall). People may change the pronouns they go by.
We encourage staff and students to introduce themselves with their pronouns, for example, in meetings (including adding your pronouns to the end of your name in online meetings), classes and by including them on email signatures. This helps create a more inclusive environment and avoids making assumptions about someone's gender identity based on their appearance, name, their gender expression (or presentation), or other characteristics.
Ideas on how to introduce and use pronouns
Introducing yourself and others in meetings, seminars and other occasions
- Get into the habit of introducing yourself with your pronouns.
- Try to get in the habit of using ‘they/them’ until you know someone’s pronouns, e.g. "There is someone here to see you, I’ll ask them to take a seat".
- Use the name and pronoun that the person asks you to. If you aren’t sure what the right pronoun is, ask. If you make a mistake, correct yourself and move on.
Email signature
Add your pronouns to your email signature by putting your name (he/him), (she/her) or (they/them) or "My pronouns are...". This helps everyone to refer to each other in a respectful way. If you are a member of staff in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, a template will be provided to you.
Zoom and Microsoft Teams
Add your pronouns to the end of your name.
Social media
Add your pronouns to your bio or your screen name on the social media platform(s) you are using.
Policies and letters
There is no reason to use gendered pronouns in any policies or letters you are writing (unless writing to a specific person and they have already told you their pronouns). Check through your work and replace 'he/she' with 'them' and if addressing letters or emails, use a gender-neutral address such as "To whom it may concern" or "Dear Student/Colleague".
Resources
Internal resources (LSE)
External resources
Glossary
Cisgender or Cis
Someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth. Non-trans is also used by some people.
Transgender
A person whose gender identity is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.
Trans people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including (but not limited to) transgender, transsexual, gender-queer (GQ), gender-fluid, non-binary, gender-variant, crossdresser, genderless, agender, nongender, third gender, bi-gender, trans man, trans woman, trans masculine, trans feminine and neutrois.
Non-binary
A person whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely.
Intersex
A person whose biological sex falls outside of the binary of male and female.
Deadname
The former, or legal/previously legal name of a transgender individual whose preferred name is different to that which they were given at birth. The deadname should be avoided.
Gender Identity
A person’s gender identity is their internally-held feelings and beliefs about whether they are a man, woman, boy, girl – or neither or both. This might align with the sex assigned at birth (cisgender) or it might not (transgender).
Gender Expression
A person’s gender expression is how they choose to express their gender identity – through their name and pronouns, their clothing and hairstyle, or their way of speaking or behaving. A person’s gender expression might include different characteristics we associate both with masculinity and femininity. What is perceived as masculine or feminine can change historically and cross-culturally. We should try not to assume we know a person’s gender identity based on their gender expression.
The PBS EDI committee
If you want to get in touch with the committee, you can contact us here: pbs.edi@lse.ac.uk.
The PBS EDI committee is a department-specific committee.
- Dr Deema Awad (Chair), Assistant Professor in Psychological and Behavioural Science
- Anika Bloomfield, Undergraduate Programme Manager
- Carl Goodwin, Alumni, Student Experience and Internship Programme Officer
- Champa Heidbrink, Department Manager
- Therese Holmqvist, Communications Manager
- Dr Miriam Tresh, Deputy Head of Department (Teaching and Learning), Assistant Professorial Lecturer, Departmental Tutor
Below are a selection of articles from experts in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science that relate to areas of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion including inequality and attainment. This selection of work has not been produced specifically for this page nor represents the range of research related to EDI, but should provide a useful resource of some of the research being conducted in the department.
Basso, F. & Krpan, D. (2022) Measuring the transformative utopian impulse for planetary health in the age of the Anthropocene: a multi-study scale development and validation, The Lancet Planetary Health9 (3), 230-242 (link)
Frings, D., Gleibs, I. H. & Ridley, A. M. (2019) What moderates the attainment gap? The effects of social identity incompatibility and practical incompatibility on the performance of students who are or are not Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic, Social Psychology of Education23, pages 171–188 (link)
Giurge, L.M., Whillans, A.V., & Yemiscigil, A. (2021). A multicountry perspective on gender differences in time use during COVID-19. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118 (12) (link)
Kteily, N. S., Sheehy-Skeffington, J., & Ho, A. K. (2017). Hierarchy in the eye of the beholder: (Anti-)egalitarianism shapes perceived levels of social inequality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 112(1), 136–159 (link)
Lucas, J.B., Berry, Z., Giurge, L.M., & Chugh, D. (2021). A longer shortlist increases the consideration of female candidates in male-dominant domains. Nature Human Behaviour, 5, 736-742 (link)
Madsen, J. K. (2019) Voter Reasoning Bias when Evaluating Statements from Female and Male Election Candidates, Politics & Gender15 (2), 310-355 (Link)
Muthukrishna, M. (2020) Cultural Evolution and the Paradox of Diversity, The Bridge50 (4) (link)
Okoroji, C., Gleibs, I. H. & Jovchelovitch, S. (2021) Elite stigmatization of the unemployed: Theassociation between framing and public attitudes, British Journal of Psychology112, 207-229 (link)
Reddy, G. & Gleibs, I. H. (2019) The Endurance and Contestations of Colonial Constructions of Race Among Malaysians and Singaporeans, Frontiers in Psychology (link)
Robin Schimmelpfennig, R., Razek, L., Schnell, E. & Muthukrishna, M. (2022) Paradox of diversity in the collective brain, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B37720200316 (link)
Waldfogel, H. B., Sheehy-Skeffington, J., Hauser, O. P. & Kteily, N. S. (2021) Ideology selectively shapes attention to inequality, PNAS, 118 (14) e2023985118 (link)
If you know of any other relevant publications that the EDI committee might want to add to this list, please email us at pbs.edi@lse.ac.uk.
Contact the PBS EDI Committee at pbs.edi@lse.ac.uk.