Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies are designed to make people of various backgrounds feel welcome and ensure they have support to perform to the fullest of their abilities in the workplace.
Diversity is the presence of difference within a given setting. The differences typically refer to race, gender, age, disability (physical and mental), ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, family or marital status, and socio-economic background. A person isn’t diverse. They’re unique.
Equity is the act of ensuring that processes and programmes are impartial, just and transparent, and provide fair possible outcomes for every individual.
Inclusion is the practice of a sense of belonging at work. It is not a natural consequence of diversity: long-time DEI educator Verna Myers, said: “Diversity is being asked to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.”
Inclusion has to do with people with different identities feeling and/or being valued and welcomed within a given setting (team, workplace, industry…), and being given opportunities to grow.
Gender refers to the socially-constructed characteristics, norms, behaviours and roles of women, men, girls and boys. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time.
Gender interacts with but is different from sex, which refers to the different biological and physiological characteristics of females, males and intersex persons. Gender and sex are related to, but different from, gender identity.
Gender identity refers to a person’s deeply felt, internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the person’s physiology or designated sex at birth.