Equity and Diversity in Demography and Demographic Research

In recent years, the need for greater equity and diversity in demography and demographic research has become increasingly clear. While some progress has been made, there is still considerable room for improvement. For example, the 75th anniversary special issue of Population Studies highlights the many strengths of demography and population studies, but it also highlights the ways that certain people—their bodies, voices and perspectives—have been marginalised. This ongoing issue not only impacts our community but also the quality and breadth of our research. Like other scientists, demographers are not alone in calling for tangible actions that generate greater equity and diversity, as well as greater recognition of their ability to improve research outcomes. However, as a small discipline with limited resources, we lack forums and initiatives to achieve this.

What is the aim of this new working group?

This EAPS working group aims to be a forum for action and a catalyst for change. The main objective of the group is to understand, promote and support equity and diversity in demography, where we consider demography as both an academic discipline and a community of people. The working group will also seek to gain a greater understanding of the connections between our community and our discipline.

What is the scope?

To promote inclusivity, we define ‘demography’ broadly, including population studies and all related topics. Our community includes all those who are active in the field, including teachers, administrators, researchers, academics, non-academics, and anyone who supports the production, dissemination and curation of knowledge relating to demography and population studies. Our practice includes all activities undertaken by members of the community, including data collection, administration, research, teaching, learning, as well as organisation and participation in events such as workshops, seminars and conferences.

How will the group achieve its aims?

From its inception, the working group aspires to follow a bottom-up approach and let our community influence the activities of the group. This began formally with the first meeting of the working group, which was held at EPC in June 2024. After a brief summary of the origins of the working group we discussed and debated the scope of the group and its priorities. We then divided into smaller groups to discuss separate topics relating to research, teaching, our community and its institutions. The meeting ended with an open discussion between all attendees.

Attendees shared a range of experiences, perspectives and thoughts regarding potential priorities. For example, some see a pressing need for more data on underrepresented populations, others a need to incorporate more diverse examples and perspectives into teaching materials, and others the need to provide support for scholars from underrepresented groups as well as scholars who work on topics relating to equity and diversity. There were also several rich discussions about to need for our research to be more critical and receptive to new ideas that challenge established norms, structures and working practices, in particular challenging those that do not support diversity and equity.

Outcomes of the meeting

In summary, there was a broad consensus supporting the aims of the working group. Attendees also agreed that the group could be organised around three interrelated strands, focussed on (1) research, (2) teaching, and (3) our community. Many people felt the need to focus on tangible actions, and the organisers agreed to hold a second physical (or hybrid) meeting at EPC 2026, while arranging a series of activities in 2026 based upon the discussions and feedback obtained during the meeting.

Planned activities for 2025

Since EPC 2024, the steering group and other organisers have met several times and divided up responsibility for the three strands. We also agreed some strand-specific activities that can be prioritised and started at the beginning of 2025, as follows:

(1) Research: We will organise an open online seminar/workshop focussed on how our research can be more critical, diverse and equitable. Potentially to be held in Fall 2025, an aim of this event will also be to discuss longer-run goals, including with respect to research topics and data.

(2) Teaching: This strand will start by reaching out to the working group members to collect best practice examples of how they address (the lack of) diversity in their teaching (e.g. the examples and definitions that we use). One of the aims will be to share teaching experience, resources, and materials on our website. We then plan to hold a survey among programme directors of Demography/Population Studies curriculums throughout Europe to get a better grasp on the (unmet) needs for more inclusive and diverse teaching material.

(3) Our community: The organisers of this strand are in the process of contacting other groups whose aims/actions overlap with ours (e.g. the organisers of PAA’s Demographers of Color), including to ask for advice. We are also preparing a code of conduct, building on examples from demography and other social sciences, that can be used for working group events and could also be used at any demographic seminars, workshops and conferences (including EPC). Other activities include meetings with the EAPS PhD Network where, among other things, we have discussed the possibility of starting some mentoring for early career scholars with an emphasis on equity and diversity. Later in the year we will also arrange an open meeting to plan longer-run activities, in particular to consider how we can better support under-represented groups.

Participation

We plan to advertise all of our events, including via our mailing list and EPC, not least to make them as open and accessible as possible. We welcome participants who are interested in contributing to any of our activities. We also welcome people who wish to join the organisers of any of the three strands, or the working group as a whole. And as always, we are open to feedback and alternative suggestions. If you would like to discuss anything mentioned here then please contact eapsequity@outlook.com or any of the members of the steering group:

Liili Abuladze, Diego Alburez-Gutierrez, Athina Anastasiadou, Annalisa Busetta, Chaimae Drioui, Bernice Kuang, Silvia Loi, Hamid Reza Oskorouchi, Adrien Remund, Laura Sochas, Lara Tavares, Agnese Vitali, Ben Wilson