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New study finds ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ statements are required by hard sciences fields, including chemistry and computer science

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion statements” are most prevalent for full-time professor jobs in environmental sciences, education, and chemistry, according to a study.

About 25 percent of full-time professor openings require a DEI statement, compared to about 10 percent of adjunct jobs, according to Nate Tenhundfeld. He wrote up his findings as part of a series for Heterodox Academy

The researcher and former department chair wrote this data could play into the “criticism of DEI statements” that “they serve as little more than political litmus tests.” “

“One would think,” Tenhundfeld wrote, “that if DEI statements were being used for more than assessing the political beliefs of prospective career-long coworkers, we would see parity between the rates at which different jobs request them.”

He provided further comments via email to The College Fix.

“If DEI is essential to the mission of higher education, it does not make much sense to require DEI statements for tenure-track positions while not requiring them for positions that have as much, if not more, interaction with students,” he said.

“This suggests that DEI statements might be used to assess certain attributes of potential long-term colleagues,” he said. “My research shows an interesting gap that is hard to explain away by proponents of DEI statements.”

He provided further comments on the prevalence of science departments requiring the statements. Computer science and IT along with engineering and technology were more likely to require diversity pledges than philosophy and humanities programs, Tenhundfeld found.

He said while “it was somewhat surprising to see more of the ‘hard’ sciences near the top of the list,” he and others “suspected” DEI statement usage by STEM fields based on anecdotal evidence.

“I think it is possible that certain fields may be feeling the pressure of ‘underrepresentation’ of women and minorities, and feel as though this is one way they can help address it,” Tenhundfeld told The Fix.

MORE: Nebraska Wesleyan mandates DEI statement for costume manager applicants

The researcher and former tenured professor said while “it’s laudable to work towards ensuring all students, faculty, and staff feel like they have equal opportunity in higher education,” the data “shows inconsistencies that raise questions about the true purpose of things like DEI statements in hiring.”

“Diversity in any setting is great, but higher education should focus on viewpoint diversity, not just diversity of immutable characteristics,” Tenhundfeld said.

“If we are going to ask faculty to discuss things outside of their research and teaching, in their applications, perhaps we could start by asking them about their commitments to viewpoint diversity, open inquiry, and constructive disagreements,” he said.

The Fix contacted the Raikes Foundation, a group that supports “equity,” to ask for comment on the study. It has not responded in the past weeks.

Other top fields demanding DEI statements included arts, psychology and counseling, and physics, according to the categories provided by Tenhundfeld.

In contrast, only about six percent of sports and recreation jobs require a similar statement, according to the research.

Some colleges have begun rolling back their requirements that faculty pledge support for diversity in their applications. For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology banned mandatory DEI statements, as reported by The Fix in May.

The Cornell Free Speech Alliance alleged the university used the statements to discriminate against older, white applicants, as reported earlier this year by The Fix. The Ivy League university denied the allegations, though it said it had begun moving away from mandatory statements.

MORE: Democrat professors outnumber Republicans 28 to 1 at U. Arizona

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