WHAT IS DIVERSITY & INCLUSIVITY

A new sense of vitality and change has occurred within society, powered globally by youth and minority groups that previously did not have a voice. These newly empowered individuals are demanding transparency and change from both government and industry (White, 2018).

Part of Diversity and Inclusivity is the understanding and deconstruction of identity, which we have been witnessing within the gender revolution. Historically, gender has been the most divisive marker of identity and while it has been the foundation of mainstream culture, we are beginning to see a shift where early adopters and innovators are challenging these rigid classifications and replacing them with more personal visions of identity (Walker, Buchanan, Stott, 2015). Identity is no longer defined by a person’s gender, ethnicity or social status, instead it is fragmented, meaning it can be achieved by individual ambitions and interests (Cote and Levine, Identity Framework, 2002).

In recent years, the idea of gender and what it means has been under scrutiny, because it is often mistaken in a person’s biology rather than their own personal identification of them self. But as this identity marker is continually explored, it poses the idea of what the confines of identity really mean.