By Louis Stupple-Harris, Research and Campaigns Manager

We're delighted to announce that from today, the British Science Association is a fully accredited Living Wage employer. This means that we pay all our staff, including those we employ for events such as the British Science Festival, the rates set by the Living Wage Foundation.

Diversity and inclusion

Our focus has been to create an inclusive space for people to engage with science and its relationship with society. When we talk about being inclusive, we often think about gender, race and disability. These issues are of paramount importance, but one group of society that's often overlooked is those from poorer backgrounds.

People in less affluent circumstances aren't as likely to be engaged with science or have their views heard on issues most important to society. If we're going to achieve a world where everyone can be a part of the conversation around science, we need to do everything to address this imbalance, including looking at our own employment policies.

We are now Living Wage Accredited

To that end, we're delighted to be making this announcement. We agree that wages should match the increasing cost of living in the UK and that money shouldn't be a barrier to being part of our organisation or work. We are now one of 3,600 employers in the scheme, making sure that our staff have enough money to live on.

Fair wages for everyone 

The changes in society we want to see can only happen when everyone has the ability and opportunity to engage with science, so we encourage our suppliers and partners to join us in paying everyone a fair wage.

We'll also be speaking to our colleagues and friends in other organisations in the science sector, to see what potential there is for a broader range of organisations taking up the commitment.

Will you join us?

Find out more about our work on Diversity and Inclusion.