Some Americans are shocked to learn that Black people are not the primary beneficiaries of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Because, for many, these policies are synonymous with discussions about race. While companies voluntarily adopted policies to address racial discrimination in the workplace during the 1960s and 70s, they were designed to help a number of marginalized groups, including religious minorities and veterans. White women have benefitted the most from DEI programs. While women remain underrepresented "at every stage of the corporate pipeline," a McKinsey study estimated it would take 48 years for women of color to achieve gender parity, while only 22 years for white women to reach this milestone.
Companies that uplift White women to leadership positions are often applauded for advancing diversity, even when they fail to extend opportunities to Black women and men. Since private companies decide if, when, and how these programs are applied, and there is no referee in this game, so to speak, the outcomes have not satisfied the goal of advancing racial equity. Selecting White women to fill leadership positions produces a more favorable public image. Yet, when companies avoid the more challenging objective of fostering racial diversity, they undermine the value of diversity. Research has indicated that while "increasing women's overall representation is necessary," it's "insufficient for addressing the challenges women of color face navigating professional careers." In other words, hiring more white women does nothing to address racial inequities or construct a more inclusive environment. Companies that engage in this practice are guilty of promoting diversity in name only.
On top of white women benefitting the most from DEI policies, they were also the group most likely to benefit from affirmative action policies. While many believe these policies only addressed racial disparities, gender-based affirmative action policies were more readily implemented. A 1995 study found that at least 6 million women, "the majority of whom were white, had jobs they wouldn't otherwise hold," because of this policy. While affirmative action policies were initially used to follow through on promises to eradicate the poison of racial discrimination, more often than not, they were used to boost white women. To be clear, women are members of a marginalized group in America. It wasn't until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 that women could open their bank accounts. Or until 1988, when women could finally start their own businesses without a male cosigner. And yet, in the aftermath of Roe v Wade, protections for their reproductive rights were slashed. But that's only part of the story.
Historically speaking, white women have ascended the golden escalator of progress, often at the expense of racial minorities. While frequently portrayed as innocent damsels in distress, researchers have demonstrated that 40% of white women enslaved people in the Southern states. Black people were often gifted to white women as part of their inheritance or dowry. "First Lady Julia Dent Grant, the wife of President Ulysses S. Grant, was a steadfast slave mistress for more than half of her life," according to a White House history report. Though this is "an often forgotten part of her identity." After abolition, some White suffragist leaders opposed the 15th Amendment, legislation designed to secure Black men's voting rights. Activist Frances E. Willard bemoaned, "It is not fair that a plantation Negro who can neither read or write should be entrusted with the ballot," referring to Black people as "locusts of Egypt," a plague to be eradicated rather than fellow citizens.
Whenever Black people talk about the unique impact of anti-Black racism, they're often accused of playing oppression Olympics by comparing their experiences to other marginalized groups. However, the fact that white women benefit the most from DEI programs makes it clear that each group faces distinct challenges and is afforded disparate levels of support in mitigating injustice. While white women often face resistance to their inclusion because of sexism, they do not carry the burden of racial discrimination that Black women and other racial minorities do. As a result, they are poised to capitalize off diversity programs in a way Black people and other minorities couldn't. While Black people are often stereotyped as "unqualified," white women have not endured the same level of skepticism about their abilities. Society sees them differently. For instance, in a study published in the Journal of Business Ethics, researchers found that "a white woman who made an anti-Black racist comment at work was conferred higher status than a white woman who did not, whereas the opposite held true for a white man (Berdahl & Bhattacharyya, 2024)."
Misinformation about diversity, equity, and inclusion programs is widespread. Perhaps the most common misconception is that these programs are designed to harm or punish certain groups of people. In reality, they are designed to bring America closer to the ideal of an equitable society by mitigating racism and other forms of bigotry. Efforts to abolish these programs rely upon the myth of meritocracy and the racist trope that Black people and other racial minorities are less deserving of opportunities. However, the claim that Black people are the only group to benefit from DEI is an unsubstantiated falsehood. Indeed, white women, more than any group, benefit from these programs. If more Americans realized that, technically, members of the white race benefit the most, would they oppose them with the same level of vitriol? Given the nation's track record, that's unlikely.
Who benefits from these programs matters as Americans hold different perspectives on various groups' levels of deservingness. Often, racism and other forms of bigotry facilitate selective empathy, where individuals believe some groups are more worthy of opportunities than others. And regardless of society's willingness to acknowledge this, the problem persists. "Overwhelming evidence suggests that inequity in access and opportunity remains an issue in organizations despite legal mandates and considerable resources invested in diversity initatives," according to Wiggins-Romesburg and Githens. Even beyond public interest in who does or should benefit from these programs, white people seem to have a firm grip on the diversity industry. As a Zippia poll found, Black or African Americans make up only 3.8% of chief diversity officer roles, while white people hold 76.1%. How ironic that so many white people see themselves as the most qualified to carry the torch and implement these programs, rather than racial minorities.
Opposition to diversity programs spans the political spectrum. While those on the political right have argued that DEI policies are unfair chiefly because they overlook the racism that inspired the creation of these programs, some on the left are cheering their removal because they don't believe they ever helped Black people and other racial minorities. However, Americans should know that many diversity programs have been proven effective at achieving their goals. A meta-analysis of diversity training over 40 years revealed that some efforts are highly effective. For example, undergraduate students writing a few sentences from the "perspective of LGBT individuals or racial minorities" can "improve pro-diversity attitudes." Researchers also found that goal-setting with "specific, measurable, and challenging (yet attainable) goals" is an effective method with long-lasting effects. For instance, deciding to challenge "inappropriate comments about marginalized groups when overhearing them in the future" was shown to have an impact nine months after training.
Often, negative evaluations of the usefulness of DEI programs are made without considering their actual implementation. Remember, private companies choose whether or not to use these programs or keep them on the shelf. If you’re serious about assessing their value, you should evaluate their efficiency where they're implemented. It's intellectually dishonest to claim these programs failed to produce results without considering their limited use, racist resistance to their implementation, or the treatment of white women as the preferred minority hire. Despite the controversy, diversity programs have been proven effective in the workplace, but there's much to discuss regarding who typically benefits from their use. The irony isn't lost on the Black community that despite being subject to anger, ridicule, and scorn over DEI, white women are the group who benefit the most.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of Dr. Allison Gaines' work on Medium.