@statesofprecarity
Research project exploring the experiences and effects of precarious employment within UK higher education geography departments. Supported by the Royal Geographical Society and Antipode. www.statesofprecarity.co.uk
💡Our @statesofprecarity.bsky.social project has been covered in
@sciencebusiness.net. 'Fixed-term academic contracts discourage ‘radical’ research' sciencebusiness.net/news/r-d-fun... Thank you @davidmjourno.bsky.social for reaching out to the team
Today, we are featured in Science|Business, promoting our #precarity findings to European policymakers, research funders, companies and universities.
Article: sciencebusiness.net/node/60789/p...
Our report is cited in the Times Higher Education today. Thanks again to everyone involved in the project. #EndPrecarity
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/use-fix...
Thank you to our incredible speakers, Lekan Adekola, Gillian Rose, Matilda Fitzmaurice and Jay Todd, who really made our report launch event. Thanks too, to everyone who attended and contributed.
Stay tuned for next steps.
Today we launch States of Precarity in UK HE Geography.
Thank you to the 364 colleagues whose experiences shaped this work.
Download the report, share widely, and join us in advocating for change.
Launch event (1:00-2:30GMT):
www.rgs.org/events/upcom...
Read report:
www.rgs.org/research/hig...
TOMORROW:
Report Launch and Discussion
1:00-2:30PM GMT
Guest Speakers:
Matilda Fitzmaurice (@matildaf.bsky.social)
Jay Todd (@jaytoddgla.bsky.social)
Lekan Adekola
Gillian Rose (@profgillian.bsky.social)
Register:
www.rgs.org/events/upcom...
Cuts, mergers, and redundancies risk hollowing out the discipline and eroding its interdisciplinary core. Geography’s future depends on confronting precarity head-on. Join us for our launch event on Wednesday!
www.rgs.org/events/upcom...
Precarity isn’t just contractual. It’s about whether academic work allows people to live fulfilling, stable lives. Join us for our report launch event on Wednesday.
Speakers: Gillian Rose, Lekan Adekola, Matilda Fitzmaurice, Jay Todd
Register👇
www.rgs.org/events/upcom...
Why this report matters now: A collapsing HE funding model is deepening insecurity. Our findings show how precarity is reshaping the discipline.
Report:
www.rgs.org/research/hig...
We are really honoured to have you speaking, Tilly! Can't wait!
Register:
www.rgs.org/events/upcom...
Join us for our report launch event next Wednesday, 1pm-2.30pm [Online]
Guest speakers:
Prof. Gillian Rose, Lekan Adekola, Matilda Fitzmaurice, Jay Todd
Register 👇
www.rgs.org/events/upcom...
Precarity is shaping what kinds of knowledge get produced. Risk-taking, interdisciplinarity, and radical research are increasingly difficult under insecurity.
Read more: www.rgs.org/research/hig...
Happy New Year everyone - we have one week to go until the launch event for States of Precarity in UK HE Geography!
Join us to discuss the findings, their implications, and routes for action. Register: www.rgs.org/events/upcom...
Signing off for Christmas now - Join us in January for our report launch event.
www.rgs.org/events/upcom...
Precarity is having serious effects on the future of geography, with many PhD students facing a challenging job market.
Intersectional pressures make a big difference. Students from minoritized backgrounds reported further structural and cultural barriers.
Read more: www.rgs.org/research/hig...
43.8% of PhD respondents were unsure about staying in academia; 14.6% had already decided not to. The reason? Insecurity, mobility expectations, and an oversaturated job market.
PhD researchers told us that expectations of 4–10 years of insecurity shape how they experience their doctorates.
Anticipated precarity affects wellbeing long before the first academic job. #StatesOfPrecarity
We have created a series of shareable posters and template letters to help colleagues advocate for change in their institutions.
Access all resources here: www.statesofprecarity.co.uk/resources
Probation periods have (unsurprisingly?) emerged as a major contributor to academic precarity, with many colleagues experiencing extensions, unclear expectations, and pressure to over-perform.
Full details: www.rgs.org/research/hig...
The psychological impacts of academic precarity linger long after permanent employment is secured.
Find out more about precarity's long term effects here:
www.rgs.org/research/hig...
Departments can make a difference to experiences of academic #precarity.
Transparency in contract use, clear mentoring structures, workload mapping, and inclusion of FTC staff in decision-making are key first steps.
Download our Action Plans to reduce precarity here:
www.rgs.org/research/hig...
Thank you for your ongoing support of the @statesofprecarity.bsky.social project, @profgillian.bsky.social.
Project report & action plans: www.rgs.org/research/hig...
Project launch event, online (14 Jan): www.rgs.org/events/upcom...
Project blog post: blog.geographydirections.com/2025/11/21/s...
71.7% of permanent staff who previously held FTCs still feel the long-term effects. Many describe ongoing anxiety, disrupted personal lives, and slower career progression.
Learn more: www.rgs.org/research/hig...
I’ve moved four times in seven years. It’s exhausting. I don’t know if I can keep doing this.’
— FTC participant
#StatesofPrecarity
Read our report and recommendations 👇
www.rgs.org/research/hig...
The wellbeing impacts are stark: 84.9% of FTC colleagues reported negative effects on their mental health.
Stress, anxiety, burnout, and chronic worry recur across responses.
Full details: www.rgs.org/research/hig...
Whilst one wheel cannot capture the complexities of academic privilege, this is a useful tool for thinking about where it lies. We suggest a new spoke on contract status be added to signal that this as a key issue that intersects with every other indicator of privilege.
www.rgs.org/research/hig...
How is precarity shaping the future of geography and the lives of colleagues in the discipline?
The States of Precarity team discuss this in a new Geography Directions blog post. 📝
Check it out here 👇
https://ow.ly/IL8h50XvGBo
Over half of colleagues on fixed-term contracts cannot plan for their future. A further 37.6% say FTCs limit their ability to plan.
#StatesOfPrecarity
Our report includes Best Practice Action Plans for institutions, departments, and Heads of School.
These are practical, implementable steps for change. #StatesofPrecarity
Download them: www.rgs.org/research/hig...