Pronouns
Pronouns are an essential aspect of individual identity and play a significant role in fostering an inclusive and respectful environment.
Pronouns are the words used to refer to someone in the third person, such as he/him, she/her, or they/them. It is important to understand that not everyone’s gender identity aligns with the traditional binary understanding of male or female. Respecting and using the correct pronouns is a way to honor and affirm an individual’s gender identity. By asking and using people’s preferred pronouns, we demonstrate our commitment to creating an inclusive space where everyone is seen, valued, and respected for who they are.
Diversity
Diversity refers to the range of differences that exist among people, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion and socioeconomic status. Embracing diversity means recognising and valuing these differences, and promoting an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected.
Diversity is recognising, respecting and celebrating each other’s differences. A diverse environment is one with a wide range of backgrounds and mindsets, which allows for an empowered culture of creativity and innovation.
People aren’t diverse, but teams and companies must be.
A person is not “diverse,” and there’s no such thing as a “diverse” candidate. Referring to a person as “diverse” would only make sense if we were all the same, but we’re not. Referring to a person as “diverse” is increasingly used as code for people who belong to groups considered non-dominant, or those with historically less privilege.
Identities such as man, white or light-skinned, heterosexual, cisgender, able-bodied, English-speaking, and educated, as examples, are considered dominant or privileged groups. Identities that deviate from these, such as woman, racialized or dark-skinned, queer, transgender, or disabled, for example, are often considered non-dominant or are less privileged groups.
For example, when we say that someone who is transgender is “diverse,” we implicitly imply that a cisgender person is the “default” or “norm.” In doing so, we can unintentionally uphold cissexism and heteronormativity. If we say someone who is racialized or has dark skin is “diverse,” we implicitly imply that a person with white or light skin is the most normal or widely accepted in the workplace. In doing so, we may uphold racist ideologies and forms of white supremacy. When we refer to a person as “diverse,” we reinforce dominant identities as “normal” or “accepted,” and we implicitly position other non-dominant identities as abnormal or insignificant.
Diversity is a relational concept. It shows up in the composition of teams and organisations, and it is measured based on a collective whole. In this way, diversity refers to “difference” within a given setting. So while a person is not “diverse,” they may bring a diverse range of experiences. From appearance to thought, likes or dislikes, and identity. Diversity of identity may relate to socialized and visible race, gender identity, religion, nationality, body shape or size, age, or sexual orientation, to name a few.
To sum it up, people aren’t “diverse,” we’re individuals. Referring to people as “diverse” is a process of “othering” those in non-dominant or historically less privileged groups. Instead, diversity is relational. It’s about the differences between people within your teams, company, and ecosystem.
Equity
EQUITY (FAIRNESS TO ALL)
Equity refers to fairness and the absence of bias or discrimination. Achieving equity requires understanding and addressing historical and current disparities that exist among different groups of people, and taking proactive steps to create a level playing field for all.
Equity ensures that measures for equality are designed according to what the individual needs to attain that equality.
For example, there’s little point a university offering equal opportunities for all if the steps leading up to it do not meet the needs of the wheel chair user!
EQUALITY (OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL)
Equality refers to treating everyone the same, regardless of differences in background or identity. While equality is an important value, it does not necessarily lead to fairness or equal outcomes. Achieving true equality requires recognizing and addressing systemic barriers that prevent some individuals or groups from fully participating in society.
Equality is ensuring individuals or groups of individuals are treated fairly and equally and no less favourably including areas of race, gender, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation and age.
Promoting equality should remove discrimination in all of the aforementioned areas.
Treating everyone equally maintains inequity; start with equity-inspired design.
While often used interchangeably, equity and equality mean different things and lead to different results. When we treat everyone equally, we treat everyone the same, but when we treat everyone equitably, (i.e. fairly), we focus on individualistic needs. In a diverse workplace, differences exist, and people require support in different ways. Equity asks us to acknowledge that everyone has different needs, experiences, and opportunities.
People from marginalised groups often have more barriers to overcome when accessing resources and opportunities than those from dominant or more privileged groups. In a diverse organisation, equity-inspired design identifies barriers and inequities and helps to elevate the people on the margins to an equal playing field.
A simple way to think about the difference between equality and equity is in terms of company swag, like t-shirts. If an organisation orders t-shirts for everyone in sizes small, medium, and large, the t-shirts will fit a range of people, but these sizes will fit some better than others. Some may be able to tuck it in or roll up the sleeves to modify the fit, while others may not be able to get it over their head, due to the shape, size, or abilities of their body.
Equality-inspired design gives everyone a t-shirt and assumes that pre-set sizes will suffice. Equity-inspired design will take size-appropriate t-shirt orders from those who will wear them, and will order other requested swag options, like pins, backpacks, or stickers, so everyone has swag that works for them.
A common way that inequity shows up in diversity and inclusion efforts is in the implementation of the initiatives themselves. Before an organisation commits to a fulsome DEI strategy and allocates appropriate resources – such as hiring an experienced practitioner or third-party consultancy – “champions” often lead the charge. Champions often care deeply about this work, whether due to their lived experience, a commitment towards allyship, or both. However, champions often lead efforts off the side of their desk and in a volunteer capacity. Not only are they responsible for the job they were hired to do, but they’re also called on to do more work without added compensation, and this furthers inequity. In terms of champions leading efforts in an organisation, equity-inspired design might ask: Can we financially compensate this person for their contribution? In their job description, can we allocate a percentage of their time to these efforts? In their annual review, can we ensure we consider these efforts?
To sum up, equitable design tries to give people what they need as individuals. Equity is in the design of our systems and processes, and it helps to uphold diversity and inclusion-related goals and actions. Companies must examine their diversity and inclusion efforts to design and implement them in an equitable manner.
Examples
Equity is often mistaken for equality, as exemplified in this analogy: Three kids are standing at a fence and they are all different heights. One kid can clearly see over the fence, another kid can barely see over, and the third kid can’t see anything because they are short. That’s not equity.
Bernard Banks, Associate Dean for Leadership Development and Inclusion, and a Clinical Professor of Management at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, said that equity is “giving each kid something to stand on based on their height so that they all could see the same thing.” He added, “The same thing could be said for an organisation; are you giving people what is necessary to help put them in the best possible position?”
Inclusion
Inclusion refers to creating a welcoming and supportive environment that allows everyone to feel valued and respected. This involves actively seeking out and including people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and working to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate and succeed. Inclusion is about valuing and celebrating differences, rather than simply tolerating them.
Inclusion means creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and valued. An inclusive environment can only be created once we are more aware of our unconscious biases, and have learned how to manage them.
There are typically three elements; belonging, which is one’s perception of acceptance; respect, the extent to which someone feels they are treated with civility and; support, the level at which one is provided the means to achieve their full potential.
If any one of these elements is missing, the workplace is not truly inclusive.
Inclusion doesn’t just happen; we have to design for it.
An organisation can be diverse without being inclusive because inclusion is not a natural consequence of a diverse team or organisation. People often say that “diversity” is an invitation to a party, whereas “inclusion” is being asked to dance. However, being asked to do something does not necessitate inclusion – inclusion is about value.
Having a diverse workplace means differences exist, and inclusion takes it forward to ask how everyone, from team members to end-users, can feel valued. People want to feel valued, whether in teams, organisations, or when interacting with a product or service.
Inclusion relates to the quality of the human experience. For example, a diverse workplace acknowledges there may be people who practice their religion or spirituality during the day. Inclusion means creating a space for people to pray, meditate, or observe. By designing this space, we show people they are valued and encourage them to bring more of themselves to the workplace.
To sum it up, inclusion is not a natural consequence of a diverse team or organisation; we need to design for it. To do so, we must work with the people we’re designing for – from our team members to our end users – to understand what people need in policies, processes, physical spaces, and products to feel valued and included.