Latest Data: 2020
This page examines the sexual attraction preferences of UK professional archaeologists.
Highlights
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For the first time, in 2020, the survey asked about archaeologists’ sexualities. Archaeologists have a higher proportion of non-Heterosexual sexual preferences than the UK adult (16 and over) population (12% vs 4% Table and figure 2.7.1).
Table 2.7.1: Table 2.7.1: Responses from those who were employed or self-employed as an archaeologist to “which of the following options best describes how you think of yourself?” in terms of their sexuality. UK general population data provided by ONS and is 16 and over from 2019.
| Count – Archs | % – Archs | UK thousands | UK % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heterosexual or straight | 823 | 82% | 49,914 | 94% |
| Gay or lesbian | 41 | 4% | 841 | 2% |
| Bisexual | 57 | 6% | 592 | 1% |
| Other | 21 | 2% | 360 | 1% |
| Prefer not to say | 56 | 6% | 1,594 | 3% |
| Total (n=) | 998 | 53,301 |
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Age and Sexuality
Our R analysis of the data found a correlation between age and sexuality. Younger archaeologists are less likely to be heterosexual. This trend is observed in the general UK population too, though professional archaeology has higher levels of non-heterosexual archaeologists than the general population. There are also higher numbers of bi-sexual archaeologists in the younger age groups.
Note: Due to low responses in some categories, all non-heterosexual archaeologists have been combined into a single category to protect anonymity of respondents. Because of the low responses rates, the numbers for archaeologists 65+ is not given, so as to avoid breaking participants anonymity. The lowest age group also had a low response rate and should only be used with caution regarding how accurate these numbers are.
Table 2.7.2: Breakdown of ages by sexuality for those who were employed or self-employed as an archaeologist. UK general population data provided by ONS.
| Age | Heterosexual | Gay or Lesbian, Bisexual, Other | Gay or Lesbian | Bisexual | Other | Prefer not to say | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | UK Population | Count | % | UK Population | UK Population | UK Population | Count | % | UK Population | |
| 16-24 | 16 | 53% | 89% | 12 | 40% | 3% | 4% | 1% | 2 | 7% | 4% |
| 25-34 | 154 | 73% | 93% | 45 | 21% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 12 | 6% | 3% |
| 35-49 | 346 | 86% | 94% | 39 | 10% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 19 | 5% | 3% |
| 50-64 | 241 | 85% | 95% | 24 | 8% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 18 | 6% | 3% |
| 65+ | 96% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 3% | ||||||
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Image Credit
General view of D 104. Exeter Archaeology, AC Archaeology Ltd (2020) The Site of the Former St Loye’s College, Topsham Road, Exeter. 2008-2010; 2013. [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1084987 CC BY 4.0
Version control and change log
As a digital document we may update parts of this page in the future to account for corrections or the need for clarification. Please use the version when citing:
Version: 1.0
Change log: no changes
CREDITS
Title: Profiling the Profession
2020 Authors: Kenneth Aitchison, Poppy German and Doug Rocks-Macqueen
Published by: Landward Research Ltd
Version Date: 2021
ISBN: 978-0-9572452-8-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14333387
License: CC BY SA 4.0 for all text and figures. Header images are from different sources check image credits for their specific licensing.
2020 funders: Historic England, with support from Historic Environment Scotland, CIfA and FAME.
Questions about Profiling the Profession: enquiries@landward.eu