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The
Feminist Principle of Diversity
The feminist principle of diversity is fundamental to healthy equality-seeking
organizations. When we are inclusive and embrace a diversity of experiences
and backgrounds, we increase our awareness and understanding of a broad
range of issues affecting women, families and communities. This enables
us to better represent the interests of the women we work both for and
with in our pursuit of social, legal, political, economic and cultural
equality.
The
feminist principle of diversity means that we respect, accept and celebrate
our individual and collective differences as women, including those
based on age, race, culture, ability, sexuality, geography, religion,
politics, class, education and image, among others.
Women
as a group are excluded from full participation in traditional structures
simply because we are female. We may be further marginalized or encounter
discrimination based on ability, culture, age, sexuality or other differences.
These and other forms of discrimination are often referred to as “ism.”
Sexism, for example, means denying access, opportunity or acceptance to
a person based upon one’s sex. Classism is discrimination based on
class, income or social status.
“We are not all
white, middle-class, abled, heterosexual and in our mid-thirties.
The acknowledgment of this reality is challenging. It means
that, just as women struggle to get gender equity programs
put in place, we also are now struggling for equity on these
other levels.”
~ Lorraine Michael
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Within traditional structures, women join boards or committees expecting
to make real progress toward equality. Instead, we may experience tokenism
as representatives of Aboriginal women, women with disabilities, or women
living in poverty whose contributions are not, in fact, respected or validated.
In our struggle to compete and succeed within these structures, we may
fear “rocking the boat,” or risking our reputations, jobs or
likeability by challenging exclusionary practices. As women move into
leadership roles within traditional hierarchical institutions, we absorb
and repeat the exclusionary practices of those environments. For example,
we may dismiss another woman’s ideas on economic development because
she is a recipient of income support. As feminists, we must continuously
challenge ourselves and each other on our biases and prejudices, and examine
where our understandings about diversity and differences come from. By
looking beyond the stereotypes, and validating different experiences,
we stand to gain a true understanding of the issues and concerns affecting
women’s lives.
Feminist organizations
strive to acknowledge and include women’s different perspectives.
In our desire for greater diversity, we need to consider whose voices
are represented within our membership, and question whose voices are missing.
We might assume that women in our small community lack diversity because
there are no striking distinctions of race, culture, ethnicity, or ability.
We may be overlooking those less visible differences among us, such as
income, sexuality or education. A true diversity of women’s experiences
within our organization contributes to a richness of shared knowledge
and understanding of women’s reality.
As feminists, we continuously
examine how and if we make opportunities to invite and include a diversity
of women within our group. The women who are actively involved in our
equality-seeking organizations may be those who have the resources or
time to attend meetings. A woman living in poverty may not have access
to transportation, or an Aboriginal woman may feel excluded in a group
of all-white women. As feminist organizations, we consider how we can
include other women’s groups who share our agenda for equality. For
example, a group that represents a large geographic region may hold meetings
in different communities to hear many women’s voices and experiences
of life in that region. Others strive to include Aboriginal or Francophone
women within our boards and memberships to reflect our cultural diversity.
As feminists, we look
for practices to improve our organization’s ability to include a
diversity of women’s experiences. We reflect on the makeup of our
leadership, membership, and service users, and consider whom we need to
include as well as the strategies to make inclusion possible. These practices
contribute to the richness of knowledge and understanding from which we
draw our actions and strategies, and strengthen our efforts toward women’s
equality.
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Scenario
The Feminist Principle of Diversity
Stella is
a member of a women’s centre. Many of the group’s members
are white, educated, heterosexual, middle class women. At a recent
meeting, Diane insisted that anyone who has not lived in poverty
or violence could not possibly understand that reality, and has
no right to speak on behalf of women who are marginalized. Stella
feels that her contributions to the organization are not validated
because she is perceived as coming from a life of privilege. The
group is beginning to feel fractured, and there is concern that
women like Stella may leave the organization.
- Where
do our ideas about class come from? How have these ideas changed
or been
influenced over time?
- How would
we make room in our organization for Stella? For Diane?
- How do
we challenge ourselves on our assumptions about class?
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Workshop
Questions
The Feminist Principle of Diversity
- What does
diversity mean to me as a woman?
- Where
do my beliefs about diversity come from? How have they been shaped
and influenced by other people or life experiences?
- What does
diversity mean to our equality-seeking organization? How is it
reflected within
our organization?
- What additional
practices can we use to ensure diversity within our organization?
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source: PACSW
pdf document (requires
Adobe Acrobat Reader)
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