Why understanding intersectionality is key to #embracingequity

Why understanding intersectionality is key to #embracingequity

The 8th of March has been coined International Women's Day. It is a time when people use hashtags and visual art, and share anecdotes and quotes to honour and celebrate women globally. Last year conversations centered on #breakingthebias . This year the focus evolves to #EmbraceEquity . I carefully picked the word ‘evolve’ as the two concepts are not mutually exclusive but very much go hand in hand as we continue our efforts toward gender equality and beyond.

It is essential to understand the significance this day brings – it presents an opportunity to take stock of the progress made so far more importantly the mass amount of work that still needs doing to bring about real change.

To me the key to embracing equity is to understand and accept intersectionalities. I will take today’s awareness raising effort to talk about it.

Speaking from experience, as a woman of colour in the workplace, throughout my career I have felt the double-edged sword of standing out in a space where most look different to me, and at the same time being constantly overlooked for opportunities in that very same space!?I’ve fought hard and as we’ve become more prone to talking about issues related to #DEI I have become convinced as Kimberlé Crenshaw rightfully points out that

“all inequality is not created equal.”

And hence doesn’t play out equally. Like me, I’m sure there are many living this reality.

This is not about my issues being more significant than others but that the resolve is as complex and multifaceted as the problem (which we still haven't fully grasped) is.

Intersectionality means acknowledging that our social identities are not limited to just one facet but multiple – race, gender, class, marital status, faith, sexuality, disability, socioeconomic background, age, etc. Therefore it isn’t just gender we need to consider when tackling a lack of diversity in the industry. To truly make a difference companies need to understand the lived experience of their workforce and address the different intersectional challenges that they face. The barriers encountered by a white woman will not necessarily be the same as those faced by her (I'll use my own ethnicity) British-Indian counterpart and so on…Not less or more, but very different!

By looking through an intersectional lens, we become more aware of how different communities are battling various, interconnected issues, all at once. ?

What companies can do to understand and embrace intersectionality: ?

• Focus on creating cultures based on understanding the lived experiences of your workforce and then adjust your practices, policies and culture to reflect it.?Reflecting on the earlier part of my career I felt a lot of pressure to conform and blend in with my surroundings. I was never really comfortable talking about my experiences or my background. Creating a working environment where individuals feel open to being themselves is critical to building inclusive workplace cultures. Again speaking from experience as people progress through their careers they are likely to feel more confident to be themselves as a result of career progression and seniority in roles.?

• Don’t rely on targets alone! Numbers are not enough as with any battle ever fought and as history repeatedly tells us we have to win the hearts and minds of the people to embrace change. In this case, this means shifting mindsets to change and bringing about a new ‘norm’. Sometimes meeting targets and ticking the boxes can mask the much-needed behaviour change within organisations i.e. dealing with micro-aggressions and unconscious bias.

• Bust the Myths! ?Whilst goals and targets are working in places, many companies still struggle to implement changes. It’s important that we fight misinformation and make people understand that by setting diversity targets you’re not comprising on the quality of your workforce. Talent already exists, but unconscious bias is woven through our society and it’s only by putting initiatives and goals in place, to improve representation that we can begin dismantling centuries of biased thinking.

• ‘Myth of Meritocracy’ (I fear I’m touching on an unpopular opinion). In a meritocracy, we all have an equal chance of succeeding if we are self-motivated, work hard and persevere. The problem, of course, is that these ideas are based on the presumption that the playing field is level for everyone, which sadly, is far from the truth. In reality, unconscious bias and structural bias based on Intersectionality impede a fair system for all. By clinging to a false narrative we undermine opportunities for developing a more productive, balanced business strategy. Merit is a popular but heavily misguided assumption about the way most organisations operate. ?

• There is no one size fits all solution! Recognise that there will be groups within our workforce for whom change is particularly intimidating so take efforts to adopt a range of approaches that need to be taken. For a DEI workforce it’s contradictory to expect a one size fits all solution!?Give your workforce an opportunity to prosper in a 'safe' environment and build confidence in processes and actions.?

• Role models matter - there is a lack of racial diversity at the top of organisations. I’m not going to bore you with the facts and figures we know what needs to be done here…

The moral of the story is fairly simple. Just because you have a diverse team, doesn’t mean you have an equitable and/or inclusive one! In order to fully embrace inclusive cultures, we need to actively promote and talk about the intricacies of intersectionality not only as we celebrate days like International Women’s Day, but as we develop our policies and practices and as we build and lead our teams.

For DEI to truly flourish we have to be comfortable bringing our true selves to the table! And create surroundings comfortable with embracing that!

We have to use the conversation of today and from every other #IWD to redefine ‘normal’ rather than return to business as usual.?

Happy International Women’s day.

“We tend to talk about race inequality as separate from inequality based on gender, class, sexuality or immigrant status. What’s often missing is how some people are subject to all of these, and the experience is not just the sum of its parts,”

Kimberlé Crenshaw.

References:

Intersectional feminism: what it means and why it matters right now | UN Women – Headquarters

‘Intersectionality’ pushes political hot button (yahoo.com)

Lonely at the Top: Intersectionality’s Impact on Leadership | Psychology Today United Kingdom