Diversity, equity, and inclusion
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are organizational frameworks that seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented, marginalized, or subject to discrimination based on identity or disability. These three notions together represent "three closely linked values", which organizations seek to institutionalize through DEI frameworks.
Diversity refers to the presence of variety within the organizational workforce in characteristics, such as race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, age, culture, class, veteran status, or religion. Equity refers to concepts of fairness and justice, such as fair compensation and substantive equality. More specifically, equity usually also includes a focus on societal disparities, allocating resources, "decision making authority to groups that have historically been disadvantaged," and taking "into consideration a person's unique circumstances, adjusting treatment accordingly so that the end result is equal." Inclusion refers to creating an organizational culture that creates an experience where "all employees feel their voices will be heard" and a sense of belonging and integration.
DEI policies are often used by managers to increase the productivity and collaborative efforts of their workforce and to reinforce positive communication. While DEI is most associated with non-elected government or corporate environments, it's commonly implemented within many types of organizations, such as charitable organizations, schools, and hospitals. DEI policies often include certain training efforts, such as diversity training.
DEI efforts and policies have generated criticism and controversy. Some criticism has been directed at the specific effectiveness of its tools and its effects on free speech and academic freedom, while other criticism has related to broader political or philosophical objections. In addition, the term "DEI" has gained traction among conservative groups as a derogatory term for minority groups in the United States.
Other terminology and extensions
An extended version of the DEI concept, known as "diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility", explicitly names accessibility as one of the aspects to be paid attention to in frameworks and policies that aim at the fair treatment and full participation of all.The concepts of DEI predate the terminology, and variations sometimes include terms such as "belonging", "justice", and "accessibility". As such, frameworks such as "inclusion and diversity" ; "diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging" ; and "justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion" exist.
In the United Kingdom, the term "equality, diversity, and inclusion" is used in a similar way.
History in the United States
Early history
Early DEI efforts included preferential hiring and treatment of veterans of the US Civil War, their widows, and orphans, in 1865. In 1876, this was amended to give preference to veterans during a Reduction in Force. In 1921 and 1929, executive orders by presidents Coolidge and Harding established ten-point preference for veterans towards exams and hiring criteria for federal employment. In 1944, the Veterans' Preference Act codified the previous executive orders, clarified criteria, and included special hiring provisions for disabled veterans. Later amendments added veterans from conflicts after World War II, special provisions for the mothers of disabled or deceased veterans, and job-specific training for veterans entering the federal or private workforce.In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Randolph-Sheppard Act, which mandated the federal government to give preference to purchase products made by the blind, and established the Committee on Purchases of Blind Made Products. The 1971 Javits–Wagner–O'Day Act expanded the Randolph-Sheppard act and changed the name to The Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled. Blind-made products are used throughout the federal government, and include brands such as Skillcraft, ARC Diversified, Austin Lighthouse, and Ability One.
Other DEI policies include Affirmative Action. The legal term "affirmative action" was first used in "Executive Order No. 10925", signed by President John F. Kennedy on 6 March 1961, which included a provision that government contractors "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin". It was used to promote actions that achieve non-discrimination. In September 1965, President Lyndon Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 which required government employers to "hire without regard to race, religion and national origin" and "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex or national origin." The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Neither executive order nor The Civil Rights Act authorized group preferences. The Senate floor manager of the bill, Senator Hubert Humphrey, declared that the bill "would prohibit preferential treatment for any particular group" adding "I will eat my hat if this leads to racial quotas."
More recently, concepts have moved beyond discrimination to include diversity, equity, and inclusion as motives for preferring historically underrepresented groups. In the famous Bakke decision of 1978, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, diversity became a constitutional law factor. The Supreme Court ruled that racial quotas were illegal, but it was allowable to consider race as a plus factor when trying to foster "diversity" in their classes.
1980s
Diversity themes gained momentum in the mid-1980s. At a time when President Ronald Reagan discussed dismantling equality and affirmative action laws in the 1980s, equality and affirmative action professionals employed by American firms along with equality consultants engaged in establishing the argument that a diverse workforce should be seen as a competitive advantage rather than just as a legal constraint. Their message was not to promote diversity because it is a legal mandate but because it is good for business. From then on, researchers started to test a number of hypotheses on the business benefits of diversity and diversity management, known as the business case of diversity.1990s
In 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations. President Bill Clinton signed the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act in 1998. It helps eligible veterans access federal job opportunities by allowing them to compete for positions typically open only to current federal employees and by reinforcing veterans' preference in hiring. It also protects veterans from discrimination in federal employment and provides a process for addressing violations of their rights.Since 2000
By 2003, corporations spent $8 billion annually on diversity. In 2009, in response to calls for the US government to do more for disabled veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan President Barack Obama signed executive order 13518, which established the Veterans Employment Initiative to enhance recruitment and retention of veterans in the federal workforce by creating a comprehensive framework to support their transition into civilian employment. It directed federal agencies to increase veteran hiring, set goals for improvement, and establish the Veterans Employment Program Office to provide assistance and resources for veterans in civilian employment. In 2011, Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13583 concerning diversity and inclusion. After the election of Donald Trump in 2016 and the ascent of the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, Time magazine stated in 2019 that the DEI industry had "exploded" in size. Within academia, a 2019 survey found that spending on DEI efforts had increased 27 percent over the five preceding academic years.In support of DEI hiring during the first term of Donald Trump, the Office of Civil Rights of the Federal Aviation Authority FAA on Thursday, April 11, 2019, announced a pilot program to help prepare people with disabilities for careers in air traffic operations, which identifies specific opportunities for people with targeted disabilities, to facilitate their entry into a more "diverse and inclusive" workforce in a standard public opening for air traffic controller jobs at the Air Route Traffic Control Center with the potential to be appointed to a temporary ATCS position at the FAA Academy.
A 2020 estimate by Global Industry Analysts placed the size of the global diversity and inclusion market at $7.5 billion, of which $3.4 billion was in the United States. Global Industry Analysts projected that the global market would reach $17.2 billion by 2027.
In 2021, Joe Biden signed several executive orders concerning DEI, including Executive Order 13985 and Executive Order 14035.
In 2021, New York magazine stated that "the business became astronomically larger than ever" after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. The Economist has also stated that surveys of international companies indicate that the number of people hired for jobs with "diversity" or "inclusion" in the title more than quadrupled since 2010.
In 2023, The Supreme Court explicitly rejected affirmative action regarding race in college admissions in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. The Court held that affirmative action programs "lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful endpoints. We have never permitted admissions programs to work in that way, and we will not do so today".
As of 2024, affirmative action in the United States had been increasingly replaced by emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion, while nine states explicitly banned affirmative action use in the employment process.
In 2024 and 2025, several large American companies scaled back or ended their DEI programs, owing to pressure from President Trump and his administration and, in some cases, related policies, such as participation in the Corporate Equality Index. These included Google, Boeing, Disney, Walmart, Meta, Amazon, McDonald's, Ford, Lowe's, Harley-Davidson, John Deere, Tractor Supply, Target, Toyota, and PBS. Generally, these companies said they will continue to foster a safe and inclusive workplace, while ending or reducing policies, initiatives, or programs that specifically take note of protected status. In this period, other companies reaffirmed their commitment to DEI, including Apple, Ben & Jerry's, Delta Air Lines, Deutsche Bank, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Costco and the National Football League.