Identifying Structural Obstacles to Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Nuclear Policy Community

Year
2022
Author(s)
Jack Brosnan - Nuclear Threat initiative
Abstract

Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy (GCNP) is a leadership network that brings together heads of organizations working in nuclear policy to break down gender barriers and make gender equity a working reality in their spheres of influence. GCNP conducts a unique annual data reporting exercise where member organizations submit reports describing the actions their leaders have taken to implement annual commitments. As Gender Champions, leaders design these commitments to address diversity, equity, and inclusion within their organizations and their work, resulting in a wide range of activities and purpose driven products. Additionally, GCNP gathers benchmarking data describing gender representation (as ratios) at the staff, leadership, and board levels of its members as well as descriptive information about the size, sector, and location of organizations. Careful classification and analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data submitted through these reports yields interesting insights about the successes and challenges that organizations in the nuclear policy community face when addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Findings of this analysis should prove instructive as institutions seek to develop strategies to address the structural challenges that have historically resulted in a lack of diversity in the nuclear policy workforce. Long-term efforts to strengthen the community of nuclear policy professionals by boosting retention and developing fresh recruitment pathways will demand inputs of data to inform strategic decision making; this paper offers an initial effort at outlining structural obstacles within the community that will need to be addressed to achieve sustainable success.