Not Just a Woman
There are a lot of different ways to approach discussion around diversity, especially depending on what definition of diversity is being used. A recent publication that we read for our strategy class defined diversity in business terms as a state where a group of people with a variety of skills produced more benefits than a group of people with the same skills.
I had never thought of diversity from this perspective before, but the theory behind it is something that I can relate to. The author approached the problem like a mathematical proof, the likes with which I am very familiar from my undergraduate years at Duke.
We also read other articles about organizations announcing "strategic" moves based on goals of introducing more diversity in their firms. However, these announcements didn't align with the theoretical benefits of diversity. Instead, the firms spread out their argument like paint on a canvas: "We are diverse now! Look at us and our met quotas."
After our discussion ended in class, it left me thinking about how articles like these impact me and my opinion of how organizations create hiring quotas. For example, one article wrote about a firm that set a quota of raising the number of women in high-level positions in the company. Reading back through the article, I can't clearly decipher the reason for this goal - other than wanting to raise their ratings on inclusivity.
On some levels, as a woman, I understand why firms release these announcements. There are gender disparities in the workplace that favor male employees in high-level roles over female. I strongly believe in gender equality in the workplace, but there's something in publications like these that rub me the wrong way that's hard to articulate.
I think mainly it's the simplicity with which firms categorize me and my gender:
As women employees.
That's all.
In these articles, the solution to a lack of gender diversity is to increase the number of women. Ok...so then what?
As a professional, I'm not just a female. I have a background, skills that I have developed, and areas in which I want to grow professionally. I value the support of teamwork, am a perfectionist when it comes to projects I care about, and like to make people laugh in tense situations. I'm a college graduate, love music and fashion, and think creatively.
But where are these types of hiring quotas? Why don't companies screen potential new employees based on these deep-level characteristics? In my opinion, workforces would be a lot more exciting, collaborative, and productive if they did.