Diversity Resources

MBL is committed to providing resources that honor individuality and encourage diversity. Diversity takes many forms:

Age
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 protects individuals who are 40 years or older.  Employment analysts divide the workforce of today into five different categories.  Do you know which category you fall in?  Wikipedia loosely defines them as the Silent Generation (or the Traditionalist) born between 1925 and 1945, the Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964, Gen X’ers born between 1965 and  1981, Gen Y (also known as the Millennial Generation) born between 1982 and 1993, and Generation Z (also called Gen I or the Internet Generation) born since 1994.  The US Census Bureau reported that in 2010 of the 308.7 million people living the United States 24% were under the age of 18, 63% were between 18 and 64, and 13% were 65 or over.

Disability
MBL supports the hiring and promotion of qualified persons with disabilities and makes every effort to provide reasonable accommodations when requested.  Information about the Americans with Disability Act of 1990 and its amendment in 2008, as well as a self-identification form, are available on our employment website. The federal government’s website for comprehensive information on disability programs and services can be found here.

Discrimination
MBL does not discriminate in employment, research, or education based on gender or sexual orientation. Visit the MBL website for details. MBL provides an equal employment opportunity environment for everyone.  “It is the policy and the practice of the Marine Biological Laboratory to treat all persons associated with our community in a fair and equitable manner and to select employees, faculty, and students without discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, mental or physical disability, age, genetic predisposition, military status, or participation in a harassment complaint.”  MBL provides protection for its employees, visiting researchers, faculty, and students through its Illegal Harassment Policy.

Gender
Women have always played a vital role in science and the history of MBL.   In fact, some of the funds used to purchased the original land for the MBL and to erect its first building came from the Woman’s Education Association of Boston.  Today women make up almost half of the workforce.

Genetic Predisposition
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was signed into law by President George W. Bush on May 21, 2008, and prohibits discrimination in employment and health insurance based on genetic information.  The National Library of Medicine offers a guide to understanding genetic conditions on their website.

Military Status
MBL promotes the hiring of qualified veterans in honor of the sacrifice veterans have made for their country. Employees who wish to make changes to their veteran status should contact Human Resources. If you are a veteran with experience to share, or if you know someone who is, please visit the Veterans History Project and consider adding your first-hand account.  If you don’t know a veteran, you might want to spend some time on the website listening to stories from veterans that range from World War I to the Afghanistan/Iraq conflicts.

Religion
Unless undue hardship prohibits such procedures, the Marine Biological Laboratory makes every effort to accommodate the religious observances and practices of employees and prospective employees.

Sexual Orientation
National Organization of Gay & Lesbian Scientists & Technical Professionals Inc.
New England LGBT outing club
New England LGBT Newspaper
Parents, Families, Friends of LGBT
Massachusetts joins 15 other states to legally protect transgender citizens from discrimination.