International Women’s Day next week will be marked against the backdrop of a new US administration committed to removing gender equity aspirations (amongst others) from its federal policy.
And corporations across the globe are tripping over themselves to follow suit – whether it’s Mark Zuckerberg lamenting the supposed lack of ‘masculine energy’ in the tech sector, major banks ending DEI initiatives, or the many other firms actively pivoting away from ‘ideals’ they held firm not even six months ago.
This ‘anti-DEI’ movement’ is unfolding despite the clear ethical and business value of diversity initiatives, which have the potential to unlock creativity, insight and value. Research from McKinsey has shown that executive teams in the top quartile for both gender and ethnic diversity are 9% more likely to outperform their peers, while those in the bottom are 66% less likely to outperform....