Friends,
As we consider the current politics surrounding DEI programs, there are many things to consider as there is often a big distance between saying one values workplace diversity and the task of actually carrying it out and managing it well.
At the University of Texas where I work, managing it meant a well-conceived infrastructure that took decades to develop that existed to address the diverse needs of students with respect to gender, race, ethnicity, ability, socioeconomic status, veteran status, sexual orientation, undocumented immigrant, and first-generation college students. A focus on diversity at the college level prepares whites and non-whites, women and men and trans individuals alike for our highly diverse world, and potentially diverse working environments upon graduation.
In addition to this recent, excellent Pew Research analysis as reported by (Minkin, 2023), I'm providing you with other references so that you can see for yourselves the high value that Americans have for diversity, despite real differences in perception of it based on race, gender, and political party membership.
There are credible and powerful research studies dating back to 2015 by McKinsey and Associates (e.g., Hunt, Layton, & Prince, 2015) that show how diversity matters for positive work environments, more highly committed employees, and these same organizations' financial performance.
I know that I have appreciated diversity at UT and fear that the elimination of DEI offices and initiatives will negatively impact so many of our students' sense of belonging and even alienate faculty who find this anti-diversity political agenda to be punishing and backward.
Diversity is truly our strength as a country. And we're only becoming more diverse. It's reckless and destructive when incumbents pass harmful legislation because they're primarily concerned about maintaining themselves in power as opposed to what's good for society.
-Angela Valenzuela
#DEI #Diversity #DiversityMatters #Diversity in Education #DiverseSociety #UnityThroughDiversity #DiverseWorld #InclusionAndDiversity
References
Hunt, V., Layton, D. & Prince, S. (2015, Feb. 2). Diversity matters. McKinsey & Company (London). Link
Irwin, L. (2024, Feb. 13). Most say diversity makes US stronger, but fewer support DEI training: Survey, The Hill. LinkDiversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace
A majority of U.S. workers say focusing on DEI at work is a good thing, but relatively small shares place great importance on diversity in their own workplace
Workplace diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, or DEI, are increasingly becoming part of national political debates. For a majority of employed U.S. adults (56%), focusing on increasing DEI at work is a good thing, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. But opinions about DEI vary considerably along demographic and political lines.
Most workers have some experience with DEI measures at their workplace. About six-in-ten (61%) say their company or organization has policies that ensure fairness in hiring, pay or promotions, and 52% say they have trainings or meetings on DEI at work. Smaller shares say their workplace has a staff member who promotes DEI (33%), that their workplace offers salary transparency (30%), and that it has affinity groups or employee resource groups based on a shared identity (26%). Majorities of those who have access to these measures say each has had a positive impact where they work.
Related: How Americans View Their Jobs
This nationally representative survey of 5,902 U.S. workers, including 4,744 who are not self-employed, was conducted Feb. 6-12, 2023, using the Center’s American Trends Panel.1 The survey comes at a time when DEI efforts are facing some backlash and many major companies are laying off their DEI professionals.
Jump to:
- The value of DEI efforts at work
- The importance of a diverse workforce
- DEI measures and their impact
- How gender, race and ethnicity impact success in the workplace
Some key findings from the survey:
- Relatively small shares of workers place a lot of importance on diversity at their workplace. About three-in-ten say it is extremely or very important to them to work somewhere with a mix of employees of different races and ethnicities (32%) or ages (28%). Roughly a quarter say the same about having a workplace with about an equal mix of men and women (26%) and 18% say this about a mix of employees of different sexual orientations.
- More than half of workers (54%) say their company or organization pays about the right amount of attention to increasing DEI. Smaller shares say their company or organization pays too much (14%) or too little attention (15%), and 17% say they’re not sure. Black workers are more likely than those in other racial and ethnic groups to say their employer pays too little attention to increasing DEI. They’re also among the most likely to say focusing on DEI at work is a good thing (78% of Black workers say this), while White workers are the least likely to express this view (47%).
- Women are more likely than men to value DEI at work. About six-in-ten women (61%) say focusing on increasing DEI at work is a good thing, compared with half of men. And larger shares of women than men say it’s extremely or very important to them to work at a place that is diverse when it comes to gender, race and ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation.
- There are wide partisan differences in views of workplace DEI. Most Democratic and Democratic-leaning workers (78%) say focusing on DEI at work is a good thing, compared with 30% of Republicans and Republican leaners. Democrats are also far more likely than Republicans to value different aspects of diversity. And by wide margins, higher shares of Democrats than Republicans say the policies and resources related to DEI available at their workplace have had a positive impact.
- Half of workers say it’s extremely or very important to them to work somewhere that is accessible for people with physical disabilities. About three-in-ten workers (29%) say this is somewhat important to them, and 21% say it’s not too or not at all important. A majority of workers (76% among those who do not work fully remotely) say their workplace is at least somewhat accessible for people with physical disabilities.
- Many say being a man or being White is an advantage where they work. The survey asked respondents whether a person’s gender, race or ethnicity makes it easier or harder to be successful where they work. Shares ranging from 45% to 57% say these traits make it neither easier nor harder. But far more say being a man and being White makes it easier than say it makes it harder for someone to be successful. Conversely, by double-digit margins, more say being a woman, being Black or being Hispanic makes it harder than say it makes it easier to be successful where they work.
