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Dylan Macphie

https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1145426/promoting-gender-diversity-in-the-workplace

Keywords: Gender Diversity, Workplace, Leadership, Accountability

One of the biggest challenges organizations still face regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is gender diversity, specifically in leadership roles. When it comes to DEI, organizations should make the workplace welcoming and unified. 

Gender Diversity in DEI

The podcast, “Courageous Conversations About Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” with host Jason Mudd and guest speaker Tru Pettigrew, emphasizes that creating welcoming environments is key to a good organization. Though the podcast focuses on DEI as a whole, gender diversity is a relevant topic, especially in today’s workplace. Gender diversity isn’t just about 100% fairness between genders. It allows new ideas to show and makes organizations and businesses unified. 

The podcast highlights the importance of “courageous conversations” to listen to different perspectives and reach the organization’s full potential. “Courageous conversations give us the opportunity to talk about the things we typically and historically have avoided because they make us uncomfortable” (Pettigrew, 2021). It emphasizes that organizations should listen to employee opinions and make space for underrepresented voices to feel heard. Gender diversity fits in with this because when organizations fail to listen to certain voices, people can feel underappreciated and small in the workplace. This leads to confidence shrinking, which impacts not only the person but the business. 

Listen to the podcast to learn about DEI and how to prioritize it:

Courageous conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion with Tru Pettigrew

Uber’s Failure in Gender Diversity 

One instance of gender diversity not being prioritized is Uber. Susan Fowler started working at Uber in November 2015, and on her first day, she was subjected to sexual harassment. One of her managers had texted her explicit messages about having sex. Though she had screenshots, management refused to punish him because he was considered a “high performer”. She was looked down on for reporting the harassment, which prevented her from moving up the ladder and lowering her performance. She then came out with a blog exposing all of the harassment, discrimination, and the toxic workplace of Uber, which then opened up an investigation into them. Three issues were evaluated. “(1) Uber’s workplace environment as it related to the allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation…; (2) whether the company’s policies and practices were sufficient to prevent and properly address discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace; and (3) what steps Uber could take to ensure that its commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace was reflected not only in the company’s policies but made real in the experiences of each of Uber’s employees” (Stanford Law, n.d.). The investigation led to the resignation of CEO Travis Kalanick and the firing of 20 other Uber employees. Susan’s blog led to massive changes with Uber and was a staple in the #MeToo movement by encouraging others to speak up about toxic work environments and raise awareness about how employees and women should be respected. 

Next Steps

Because gender diversity is an ongoing issue, a plan of action should be taken into consideration to guarantee a healthy and inclusive workplace. Key steps include:

• Leadership: Having an accountable and willing leader elevates the workplace, making others work harder and feel more respected. 
• Communication: Organizations need a place where every employee feels safe and comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas, fostering productive conversations.
• Cultural Changes: Challenging social norms gets rid of traditional, yet harmful norms.

Overall, gender diversity is an everlasting social issue that is often misrepresented. It enhances organizations through new perspectives and promotes diversity. 

Admin. (2024, December 3). Why gender equity in the workplace is good for business – Professional & Executive Development: Harvard DCE. Professional & Executive Development | Harvard DCE. https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/why-gender-equity-in-the-workplace-is-good-for-business/ 

PR, O. T. of. (2022, May 23). Courageous conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion with tru pettigrew: On top of PR podcast. Top Public Relations Firm. https://www.axiapr.com/blog/podcast-episode-courageous-conversations-about-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-with-tru-pettigrew

Shekha, N. (2025, March 7). Promoting gender diversity in the workplace. Aurora Magazine. https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1145426/promoting-gender-diversity-in-the-workplace

Uber-Report.pdf. (n.d.). https://conferences.law.stanford.edu/vcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2017/11/Uber-Report.pdf