Humans are not a homogeneous group, and we vary by age, sex, education, income, cultural beliefs, religion, geographical location, race, ethnicity, and experience. These differences are what makes us unique, and which enriches the environment in which we
operate. Hence diversity integrates our uniqueness with others to make the whole much richer.
These differences can also be a reason for people to be discriminated against. For example, women can be excluded from accessing resources because they are not the head of household. Certain job opportunities maybe open only to people from a given region,
ethnic or religious group etc. These discriminatory practices which could be social, political, economic, cultural, or civic, lead to the exclusion of these groups from the enjoyment of benefits afforded to those who meet the selection criteria. Inclusion,
therefore, aims to identify and address the constraints the excluded groups face so that they can also be beneficiaries of the same services.
Why is diversity and inclusion important?
Diversity and inclusion are important because it makes use of our varied experiences and backgrounds to enrich the environment in which we operate and to make the results of our work impactful and sustainable. For example, it makes no sense to work on women
and land reform when women’s experiences and voices are not included in the decisionmaking and planning processes. What is equity a nd how is it different from equality in apractical way.
What is diversity & inclusion in the workplace?
An example of diversity in the workplace would be a workforce that reflects the population in gender, age, race, experiences, education, etc. at all levels of decision making.