Empowering Women: How to Make Diversity Programs More Effective ┃ Women’s History Month

March is all about celebrating women, but let’s be real—just celebrating isn’t enough. Have you ever felt like some companies treat diversity like a checkbox? That’s called tokenism, and to celebrate Women’s History Month, we’re diving into how we can move from surface-level efforts to true inclusion of women in a workspace.

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Tokenism vs. True Inclusion

Tokenism is when a company hires or promotes someone from an underrepresented group just to look diverse—without actually creating meaningful change. It’s like inviting someone to a party but never asking them to dance. In other words, tokenism is a forced form of diversity in the workplace.

True inclusion is the opposite of tokenism. It means actively creating an environment where everyone, regardless of background, feels welcomed, valued, and empowered to participate fully and equally. True inclusion goes beyond new representation and focuses on building a culture where diverse perspectives are truly integrated and heard.

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Why Tokenism Hurts Women in the Workplace

Many companies implement diversity programs but fail to create real opportunities for women. Tokenism for women is seen when companies only hire or promote a small number of women solely to create the appearance of diversity without actually addressing systemic inequalities or providing equal opportunities for women to advance in their careers. This leads to women feeling like they are being used as symbolic representatives rather than valued for their skills and contributions.

In fact, the first popularization of the concept of tokenism can be credited to Judith Long Laws (1975) with her analysis of the special problems faced by women who have entered the male-dominated academic setting, where she focused on the “token” as someone who meets all the formal requirements for entrance into a group but does not possess the characteristics that are expected of persons in that position. When women are token hires, they often face extra challenges, including: 

• More scrutiny – Because they stand out, they’re under constant pressure to prove themselves.
• Feeling like outsiders – They may struggle to fully integrate into workplace culture.
• Limited growth opportunities – They are sometimes seen as symbolic hires rather than real leaders. (Zimmer, 1988).

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Red Flags: When Diversity Programs Are Just for Show

A study by WebMD Health Services and Blue Research in 2023 found that more than 60% of employees didn’t believe their organizations’ efforts had any real impact. Generally, there are various signs that a company's diversity and inclusion programs are failing. These include losing staff from the global majority, not having a pipeline of diverse talent and more. Particularly, a diversity program might be failing women if there is a lack of significant progress in female representation at higher levels, persistent gender pay gaps, a culture of microaggressions against women, a lack of female leadership development opportunities, tokenism in hiring practices, and a failure to address systemic barriers impacting women’s advancement, all while continuing to see minimal change in the overall gender balance within the organization.

1. Stagnant leadership representation when senior leadership roles remain largely unchanged despite diversity initiatives
2. The gender pay gap between male and female employees at similar levels and roles persists.
3. There are limited female mentorship and sponsorship programs for career advancement.
4. Microaggressions and dismissive attitudes towards concerns are normalized and shown through subtle and often unintentional discriminatory remarks or behaviors against women that are not addressed and continue to occur regularly in the workplace.
5. Unconscious bias in hiring and promotion that hinders women’s career progression.
6. There is a perception of an invisible barrier that prevents women from reaching higher levels within the organization.

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Shifting from tokenism to True Inclusion

According to Forbes, prioritizing equity is vital if a company wants to move away from tokenism and create true inclusion. The path to tokenism to true inclusion would require a cultural shift within an organization and society at large. Moving towards authentic inclusion involves recognizing, acknowledging, and valuing the diverse contributions that individuals from varied backgrounds bring to the table. Here are some key strategies to achieve this shift.

1. Ensure that leaders are actively committed to equity not just by setting clear goals and holding them accountable but also by carefully weaving equity into the company’s culture.
2. Align business objectives with clearly defined diversity concepts for the organization.
3. Eliminate bias during recruitment by implementing strategies for diverse recruitment by focusing on skills rather than demographics.
4. Establish fair and transparent criteria for career advancement, ensuring everyone is evaluated based on merit and contributions.
5. Ensure that when representing diverse groups, their roles are meaningful and contribute to the overall success of a project or program and not just token appearances to appear diverse and inclusive.

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Final Thoughts

The transition from tokenistic practices (particularly towards women) to true inclusivity involves deep, conscious efforts to dismantle existing beliefs and cultures of exclusion. True inclusion isn’t a one-time effort—it’s an ongoing commitment. So this women’s month, let’s ask ourselves: Is our workplace truly inclusive, or are we just checking a box? The real work starts with listening, changing policies, and making sure every voice counts. True inclusion goes beyond simply having diverse faces; it requires creating an environment where everyone feels valued, empowered, and able to contribute meaningfully to the growth and success of a company.

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