Dive In panel calls on firms to better understand intersectionality

Firms should look beyond the face value of diversity data to consider the intersectional experience of colleagues in order to offer more tailored support systems and employee programmes, according to Dive In panellists this week.

Speaking on a panel, Jenifer Denby, global head of inclusion and diversity at WTW, explained that while intersectionality is regarded as a relatively novel term, it was in fact coined by US civil rights advocate and legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989.

“It’s thinking about the collision of identities and, at the time, how anti-discrimination law looked at race and gender separately,” Denby outlined.

“Kimberlé took a real interest in this and was thinking about this collision of identities, but also really wanted to have a framework for people to think more broadly about identity.”

There are several ways in which intersections can affect women in various demographics in the workplace. For example, Denby cited that in the US, white women earn 31 percent more than Latina women and 21 percent more than black women.

“With pay equity, we traditionally think about gender and pay differences. But that study really challenges us to think more broadly with an intersectional lens, and to make sure as a company that you’ve got the data to look more broadly than just gender,” she added.

In addition, a study by the UN found that women with a disability globally have an employment rate of 20 percent, compared to 53 percent for disabled men, while McKinsey’s annual Women in the Workplace report found that LGBTQ+ women are much more likely to experience microaggressions in the workplace.

“This type of data is really helpful as we think about our hiring policies, where and how we attract talent, both in our organisations and our industry,” Denby continued.

“Thinking with this intersectional lens then leads us on to thinking about how to use the data to feed into DEI programmes. Acknowledging those intersectional identities can help us think about our policies or programmes, but also about how to strengthen our culture.”

Denby was joined on the panel by Andrew Corbin-Turner, partner at Gallagher, who added that proper engagement with intersectionality begins with understanding the lens with which you view the world.

“Understanding your own perspective will allow you to understand how you view other people’s identities, your own identity, and the various different biases involved,” he said.

“Secondly, educate yourself by exploring resources like books, articles and online courses. Next is to actively listen and to engage in open and respectful conversations. It’s becoming a lot more commonplace in the workplace now to have personal conversations as we respect each other’s time and emotions.”

Corbin-Turner added that, while it is important to talk about inclusive hiring practices, a precursor to this is identifying any lack of representation in certain sub-sectors within certain groups, including the diversity within a talent acquisition team itself.

He concluded that employee resource groups (ERGs) are a good way to source knowledge acquired through lived experiences.

“Lean into workstreams, networks and ERGs to have this fountain of knowledge and use that to progress your company, offer these different perspectives and challenge currently entrenched ideas,” said Corbin-Turner.

“Data is a big part of this. Without good quality data and without understanding the specific issues that relate to certain specific demographics, it’s very difficult to address these issues and create an equitable solution.”