Factoring intersectionality into workplace DEI efforts

Diversity Council Australia (DCA) has launched a guide for employers across Australia on how to apply intersectionality in workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

According to the DCA, intersectionality has become increasingly popular in workplace DEI initiatives despite it often being used more as a mere buzzword than as a tool for cultural and structural advancement.

By definition, the DCA claims that intersectionality in itself refers to how different aspects of a person’s identity expose them to overlapping forms of discrimination that greatly increase their marginalisation – which, of course, can occur in the workplace.

An example the DCA uses is that a First Nations woman’s gender and race can expose her to overlapping sexism and racism (i.e. gendered racism), thus greatly increasing her marginalisation.

As the Australian workplace continues to grow as a melting pot of different cultures, understanding those overlapping differences that can manifest in marginalisations for workers proves to be the next step forward when it comes to implementing DEI practices into an organisation.

The DCA’s recent release of the Applying Intersectionality at Work guide is an attempt at demystifying intersectionality as a concept so employers across Australian workplaces can redirect it into creating real change.

“Intersectionality is not simply about identity or inclusion,” said Dr Virginia Mapedzahama, DCA’s lead author of the guide.

“It’s about creating equity and social justice for people who are most marginalised. To genuinely apply intersectionality at work, we must understand how systems of inequity, such as racism, sexism, ableism, and classism, intersect to create compounded marginalisation. These guidelines help practitioners make sense of that complexity and take purposeful action.”

Shifting intersectionality from theory to practice can be the next step for DEI practitioners in addressing workplace cohesion and culture. According to the DCA, incorporating the following steps is crucial to being successful with that shift towards real intersectionality practices.

• Build critical foundational knowledge about what intersectionality is (and is not), who has more and less power and privilege at work, and how to centre the voices of those most marginalised.

• Take practical steps to ensure no one is left behind in your organisation’s D&I change work.

“People’s identities don’t exist in isolation, and neither should our diversity and inclusion efforts,” said Catherine Hunter, CEO of DCA.

“Taking an intersectional approach means acknowledging this and factoring it into the work that we do. This guide gives organisations the tools to do that with confidence and care.”