Equality, diversity and inclusion: simple principles to start getting it right
People may look different from each other, and we may behave differently too, but we have an awful lot in common. The more we focus on our shared humanity and not on what separates us, the happier we will all be.
I believe in the innate goodness of people. I am convinced that the vast majority of us are born with the seeds of solid social skills, a genuine willingness to help others and a wish to be part of a community. I don’t find it hard to believe the scientific evidence that we have a large degree of empathy genetically hard-wired into us.
But as is often the case, life gets in the way. We get taught through tough experiences that we cannot always trust the people around us and that perhaps we need to only take care of ourselves. In our upbringing we get repeated messages that certain groups of people should be avoided or treated with suspicion. And we learn to treat individuals that are different to us as if they all possess the perceived characteristics and traits of the group they belong to, reinforcing stereotypical notions. This is called ‘othering’, an insightful term I learnt years ago from a colleague at the Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University.
It is so much easier not to like people or to have stereotypical views of them, when they are ‘the other’. We all have these instinctive, ill-informed notions of people that are different to ourselves. These notions serve a purpose: they create structure, a sense of certainty about our own values, and a feeling of security and predictability. But they also stop us from getting to know people who are not exactly like us, and from opening up to the lived experiences of those with a different culture or background. The less we ‘other’, the richer our lives are.
My life has been enriched, for instance, by befriending through my children’s social networks, young people from cultural backgrounds different to my more traditional Dutch background. I feel fortunate they shared with me stories of hardship and discrimination they faced in the Netherlands in their childhood, adolescence and university studies, and are still facing in their early professional careers. Understanding their experiences has changed my outlook and has made me feel empathy towards them and hopefully helps me act more kindly and considerately in both my professional and personal life. They are not ‘other’, even though our backgrounds are very different.
“The pernicious problem with this more implicit, covert bias is that most of us are not aware we feel it, and will often even vehemently deny it.”
Othering and discrimination are, of course, closely related. A lot of overt discrimination has been outlawed in many countries over recent decades. That is a wonderful victory for many groups of disadvantaged people and for society at large. In parts of the world where that has not happened, the fight for anti-discrimination laws needs to go on. The problem with the laws, however, is that they have not taken away our human tendency for fostering stereotypical views of groups that we feel are different or inferior. This can still lead to huge inequality for individuals over a lifetime, since many less overt, smaller, not illegal incidents can add up to large differences in experience and opportunity. The pernicious problem with this more implicit, covert bias is that most of us are not aware we feel it, and will often even vehemently deny it. The consequences of that collective and individual denial are two-fold.
First, the individuals who live with discrimination and stereotypical views against them, are denied recognition of their disadvantage and their pain. When they are brave enough to raise the issues of extra hurdles on their paths, they will often hear they are imagining them. I have certainly experienced that myself over many decades as a woman climbing the career ladder in a male dominated work environment. The denial can easily lead disadvantaged people to conclude they themselves are not good enough. The effects of internalising these insidious messages should not be underestimated. They can become a source of much insecurity, and potentially a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Second, the denial leads to a belief that what is not there (because we choose not to acknowledge it) does not need fixing. If as a community and as individuals, we believe discrimination and bias do not exist against women, or people of colour, or LGBTQ+ people, or disabled people, or those with an accent that is different to our own, we can get away with the notion that our society is fair. This type of thinking leads to complacency and ultimately to more disadvantage for marginalised groups. I believe that if there ever was an area in which the adage: ‘if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem’ applies, it is here.
“…in spite of all the research-based evidence, I find that there is still an awful lot of denying going on.”
Universities are by no means safe havens from bias. In the past decades, large numbers of rigorous scholarly publications have shown the clear and still-prevalent bias in university processes of admissions, hiring, promotions, assessments, and metrics for excellence, for almost every underrepresented or minority group, for staff and for students. Yet, in spite of all the research-based evidence, I find that there is still an awful lot of denying going on. There are anti-discrimination laws and policies in place at universities, and committees and projects aimed at combating disadvantage and inequality. People on these committees are dedicated, are working very hard and are making progress. It is understandable that because of these laws and the success of some of our efforts, we have come to believe our systems are fair (and we can sleep so much better too, when we think that). Yet, it is clear that at present at universities we ‘other’ and have stereotypical views, just like the rest of humanity. That results in ongoing bias, disadvantage and discrimination. The issues cannot be fixed by our policies and our dedicated committees alone. Their work will continue to be too slow unless we tackle some of the roots of our problems.
The time has come for a fundamental step to overcoming our ingrained, implicit biases, namely, to stop denying them. We have to acknowledge the overwhelming scientific evidence. We need to hold open and honest conversations with each other and admit our institutions and systems are not as fair as they should be. We owe it to disadvantaged individuals that we take their experiences seriously. We need to start hearing their stories and we need to start truly listening. When we do that, two crucial things will happen: members of underrepresented groups will feel understood and heard, and they can stop blaming themselves. But equally importantly: the phenomenon of othering will cease to exist in our communities. When we listen intently and with an open heart, when we can truly imagine ourselves in someone else’s situation, we create shared humanity and ‘other’ disappears as a concept.
“‘Getting it right’ requires a systemic, comprehensive approach, across the whole university.”
If we want our universities to be a reflection of the external communities we serve, if we want everyone in our universities to have a sense of belonging and the opportunity to excel, if we want to be open and curious, and if we want our students to learn how to thrive in a non-homogenous world, we have to finally get it right. ‘Getting it right’ requires a systemic, comprehensive approach, across the whole university, led from the top, pushed from the bottom, and supported in the middle. It is not necessarily easy, but the principles are quite simple: those of us in a leadership position need to use the shared human capacity for empathy and develop an understanding of how to foster and grow it, across the whole institution. Start from there and all the concrete actions and plans that follow will be so much more effective, successful and sustainable.
That means that VCs and presidents need to admit that bias and discrimination exist at a substantive scale in our universities. We need to listen to the disadvantaged groups in our institutions and openly acknowledge that, as in society at large, there is quite a long road still to be travelled. But if we use the evidence gathered by our own scholars of widespread, implicit bias, we can understand and accept that we hold biased views. What we should no longer accept, though, is the denial of bias.
“Equality, diversity and inclusion will then be seen as equal in importance to financial sustainability, high quality research, education and societal impact. In fact, all these goals will become intertwined.”
As with so many tough, but crucial cultural issues, if the leadership are not visibly pushing for change, the work of our committees will be so much more hard and prolonged. By playing our part, we can start creating huge synergy and allow for true change to take place. If at the top we acknowledge bias exists, we can see so many more ways in which we can strategically and holistically tackle the issues. Equality, diversity and inclusion will then be seen as equal in importance to financial sustainability, high quality research, education and societal impact. In fact, all these goals will become intertwined.
I know for sure that university communities, if provided with the right vision and leadership, are willing and able to embark upon that journey with passion and conviction. That puts significant responsibility on people like me and my peers in similar positions in other universities. We won’t always get it right, but if we truly start to give this issue the attention it deserves, everyone will benefit from the culture change and many people’s lives will be changed for the better. The rewards will be huge and inter-generational, and they will last far beyond our lifetimes.
