Who leads diversity efforts in science? Evidence of minority tax in DEI committees of international learned societies in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Malgorzata Lagisz , Natasha Jeanne Gownaris, Eli S.J. Thoré, Nina Trubanová, Ilha Byrne, Joanna Rutkowska, Ruby M Krasnow, April Robin Martinig , Inna Osmolovsky, Juliette Tariel-Adam, Heikel Balti , Zhenzhuo Xian, Susan E Everingham, Kevin R Bairos-Novak, Zoe Xirocostas , Laura Super, Elsai Mati Asefa, Ying-Chi Chan, Zuzanna B Zagrodzka, Caleb Onoja Akogwu, Matthieu Paquet , Berit E Batterton, Brooke Lamonte Long-Fox , Saeed Shafiei Sabet , Manuela Santos Santana, Joshua Wang, Claudia Wascher , Ayumi Mizuno , Marija Purgar , Michael Bertram , Yuxin Qiao, Shinichi Nakagawa 

Learned societies are key in shaping scientific communities, yet many face inequities rooted in their histories and governance. The inequities can be addressed by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committees or officers, but little is known about these organisational structures. We present the first analysis of 70 DEI structures across 50 international ecology and evolutionary biology societies, based on public information for 558 named DEI committee members/officers. We found that DEI structures were primarily (94%) staffed by individuals affiliated with highly developed countries, but often with immigrant backgrounds (31%). Also, 11% likely originated from medium- or low-developed countries and 13% from non-English countries. Women and gender‑diverse individuals (72%) were overrepresented in DEI structures, especially in leadership roles (82%). Public visibility of serving members is generally low. Overall, this pattern indicates that unpaid, undervalued service disproportionately falls on the groups DEI efforts aim to support, reflecting a “minority tax.” Notably, during 2025, 13 out of 54 societies (24%) removed, renamed, or anonymised DEI web pages, coinciding with the political shift in the US. Our recommendations highlight the need for learned societies to formally recognise the labour, reward, empower, resource, and protect DEI efforts to ensure lasting, equitable impact.