More than a fifth of interior designers say their race or ethnicity has created barriers too their progression in interior design and almost four in ten say they have been the victim of some form of discrimination in their profession and/or place of work.
The British Institute of Interior Design’s first diversity in interior design research also found while 69% of those who completed the survey were white, of those who stated their current position is head of a studio or a senior level position, 78% are white, 10% Asian and 6% black – highlighting a lack of ethnic minorities in senior positions.
When asked whether race/ethnicity has created barriers to their progression in interior design, 22% agreed. Of this proportion that agreed, 76% identified as black, Asian or mixed – indicating that those with ethnic minority backgrounds feel that their race is a barrier to career progression.
Some 15% stated that they are the only black, Asian and/or Minority Ethnic employee in their organisation.
Just under 40% (37%) say they have been the victim of some form of discrimination in their profession and/or place of work.
For those who state they have been discriminated in their profession or place of work because of race/ethnicity, the breakdown of their race/ethnicity is as follows 42% black, 25% Asian, 11% mixed.
The research also looked at the next generation of interior designers: students at UK higher education institutions.
Interior design students were more likely than the average student to be from an ethnic minority background. 29% of interior design students were from an ethnic minority background, compared to the 23% of all UK students. In addition, interior design students were more likely to be from an ethnic minority background than architecture/planning students (22%) and creative arts and design students (14%).
Across the sector there was an ‘attainment gap’ for ethnicity. Ethnic minorities students were less likely to get a first than white students. The ethnicity attainment gap was larger on interior design courses than on other courses: 13% of ethnic minority students attained a first compared to 28% of white students.
The cohort of interior design students analysed was more ethnically diverse and featured a higher proportion of individuals from less privileged socio-economic backgrounds than the general student population for the same time period.
‘Our belief is that the interior design profession should be open to everyone. Whilst we are encouraged by high numbers of students choosing to study interior design, we need to explore how we can support the career progression of those students from ethnic minorities who may not be getting the opportunities to progress once qualified. The recently formed Diversity and Inclusion Committee is actively looking into how we can do this. We need to ensure that all interior designers, at every stage of their careers, have the opportunity to thrive,’ says Katherine Elworthy, BIID chief operating officer.
