They say that honesty is the best policy, so here I am sharing the reality of what people think when they hear the words Diversity and Inclusion. They may not say it to your face, but trust me, they are thinking about it.
“We don’t really care about diversity and inclusion strategies, it just seems like social propaganda to help people who are not working as hard as everyone else and give them an easy path to success. We have all human resource laws and policies the same. in place these days to ensure everyone gets a fair chance. So, stop this fluffy talk and let’s get down to business. “
Those feelings are present in more people than you can imagine. Not because all these people are racist or even against the principles of inclusion, it is mainly because they do not connect the dots on how it affects them or society in general. The truth is, all this talk about diversity and inclusion is not exciting like quantum physics, not critical like medicine, not technical like engineering, or essential like math or even cooking. But it affects each and every one of those areas, and many others, because all these fields have one thing in common, they all need people. People are the ones who are innovative, technical, creative and make the world the best it can be. And when people can’t do those jobs, collectively, as a society, we suffer.
If Einstein had been born a woman, the truth is that we would not have heard of him. Because in the early 1900s, women were not given the opportunity to be a part of the scientific world along with countless other areas, as men had decided that it was beyond them. He would have been lost to the world of physics and we would have been minors, all because of his gender and the lack of inclusion in those times. That’s a fact and that’s where my truth about diversity and inclusion begins.
The truth out there
So for those of you who think everything is fine now and equality has been achieved. Sorry to burst your bubble, but we’re not even close. I could write a thesis on the inequity and inequality that exist in all aspects of society, but I will share a few to get things started.
“Women make up 51% of New Zealand’s population, but they make up only 2% of the CEOs of New Zealand’s top 50 companies.”
“Maori make up 15% of New Zealand’s population, yet they make up 50% of the prison population.”
“In the UK, a study showed that if your name was Adam instead of Mohammed, you were 3 times more likely to have your application accepted.”
The first thought some of you will have is, ‘Well, maybe these groups are to blame for their situations. Maybe men are just better at being CEOs, or women should work harder. Maybe Maori should stop committing crimes, then they won’t be in prison. As for these ethnic people, they should just change their names to “normal” sounding names, and then they will get the jobs.
Simple truth? Well sadly it is not.
The reason such inequalities still exist is because, while implementing laws around equality and justice is an essential step, it is only the first. The reason women cannot break through the glass ceiling, ethnic people cannot get interviews, and the justice system seems to target specific population groups is due to the prevalence of unconscious biases.
What is unconscious bias?
Unconscious bias, as opposed to conscious bias, is when you make decisions that favor specific people or ideas without even realizing it. This mode of operation exists in everyone and we use it all the time to carry out our day to day. We as humans like to order our world so that we can make quick decisions, and letting our unconscious mind make those decisions saves us from complex thoughts.
Unfortunately, our unconscious mind is just a product of the environment we grew up in, incorporating our beliefs, stereotypes, prejudices, and even our biological preferences. Therefore, as soon as our unconscious mind comes into play, whether we intend it or not, a bias is inevitable.
This is the reason why, even after years of awareness, equality laws, and countless trainings, people continue to make decisions that negatively impact specific groups. Here is an example of unconscious bias at play.
When you look at the dress shown in the link below. What color do you see?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dress#/media/File:The_Dress_(viral_phenomenon).png
Depending on how you are biologically wired to view this, you will see Gold and White, or you may see Blue and Black, and some Blue and Brown. Interesting, right? There is no correct color, it is just our personal preferences.
That was an example of unconscious bias that is biologically ingrained in us.
Another example of unconscious bias at play was visible in major American orchestras until the late 1970s. Orchestras had only 5% of their performers who were women and, although the selection panel tried to be fair and select on merit, women were simply not being selected. So they decided to do something new, holding blind auditions where the interview panel could not see the musician, since they were separated by a curtain. What do you think that happened?
That change increased the probability that women were selected by 50%. All because even though the panel members were apparently not biased against women, they had subconsciously been preferring male performers. Now women make up about 30% of orchestras in the United States.
“You can’t stop unconscious bias, but you can take steps to mitigate it and prevent it from affecting your decisions.”
So where do we go now?
My first request would be for you to accept the fact that you are susceptible to bias, like everyone else. Self-awareness leads to personal responsibility and you can then work with your organization to make sure you have the right strategies in place to stop the unconscious biases that affect your decision making.
Just remember that you don’t want to be the person or organization that refused to interview the next Einstein because his name was Mustafa or didn’t promote the next Steve Jobs because his name was Helena.
