Credit: RF._.Studio from PEXELS
As International Women’s Day approaches, we need to double our efforts to advocate for social justice and our principles of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). These have been subject to unprecedented attacks by some political leaders.
In the US, President Donald Trump recently dismantled the DEI measures, claiming they are useless and discriminatory. Without evidence, he even denounced the Liling of Diversity for the fatal collision between a military helicopter and a passenger plane that killed 67 people.
In Australia, opposition leader Peter Dutton reflects an agenda similar to his criticism of the status of “culture, diversity and inclusion” in public services.
We must resist attempts to demolish all the progress that has been made and remind us of many good reasons to pursue Dei in the workplace.
Women, racial minorities, and people with disabilities continue to face barriers to equal opportunities in the workplace. In many cases, they remain excluded from the role of leadership and decision-making.
Advocate for diversity
Given the attack on Dei’s measures, it is worth stating why they are so important to a truly inclusive modern workplace.
The DEI initiative works to address obstacles and make the disadvantages right, and anyone, regardless of their individual characteristics, can be hired, promoted and paid.
They ensure that everyone has truly equal access to social goods. They can be seen as “catch-up” mechanisms and we recognize that we are not all starting our work on an equal footing.
The Gender Equality Initiative addresses discrimination, stereotypes and structural barriers that dislike people based on gender.
These initiatives raise questions about the idea of ”met-based” employment. This often disguises the invisible bias that many people have in power. For example, to someone of a particular gender.
Australia’s story
In Australia, there are many different stories to say when to diversity, equity and inclusion.
The federal workplace gender law requires businesses with more than 100 employees to report annually on gender equality indicators, including wage gaps and workforce composition.
In Victoria, the Gender Equality Act 2020 promotes “proactive action” to improve gender equality in higher education, local governments and the public sector.
Despite these laws, Australia is lagging behind gender equality indicators compared to other countries such as Iceland, Norway and New Zealand. According to the Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum, Australia is one step up from 54th in 2021, but ranks 26th out of 146 countries.
This report illustrates the continuous and important gender gaps regarding women’s representation in a variety of industries, particularly science and political leadership.
Increased recognition
However, there have been positive changes in the cross sections of fields such as politics, sports, medicine, media and academia. Gender equality is promoted through a wide range of initiatives that seek to rebel against centuries of patriarchal domination.
Workplace policies regarding paid parental leave, flexible work arrangements, part-time jobs, breastfeeding, and anti-discrimination are part of a broader agenda to make workplaces more inclusive for women, gender-born people, and working parents.
Many people do not consider these improvements specific diversity initiatives, but they are clear examples of how workplaces recognize the diverse needs of women and working mothers.
Today we see more women in leadership positions across the workplace and sector.
But as feminist Sarah Ahmed points out, it is often marginalized employees who are responsible for doing all “diversity jobs” in the workplace. “Diversity will be a job for those who are not housed in existing systems.”
The effort of redounving
Despite welcome progress, inequality continues in the workplace.
We recognize that many people in positions of power do not (or cannot) desire to acknowledge their privileged position. Therefore, they do not see the barriers that exist for others.
Social justice is not simply talented by those in power.
Given the challenging political landscape, it is more important than ever that we continue to seek gender equality than simply supporting the status quo.
Provided by conversation
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Quote: Diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace are under attack. These are more important than ever (March 2, 2025) obtained from https://phys.org/2025-02 on March 2, 2025.
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