On a recent weekly Target run to pick up some essentials, I decided to take a closer look at a viral brand I'd seen on Instagram for years but hadn’t yet been convinced to take the leap. As I picked up a bottle of a feminine product and started to read the label, I noticed the beginning of a statement: “For humans who…” This simple, but powerful, phrase immediately caught my attention and without further thought, I tossed the bottle into my cart.
That moment got me thinking about how comforting and honestly refreshing it was to see a brand openly acknowledge that its consumers don’t all fit into traditional boxes—and it made me reflect on the language we use in our daily lives and workplaces when discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Often, when we talk about uplifting diverse groups, these conversations frequently overlook gender identity, neglecting those who are nonbinary, transgender, gender non-conforming, or otherwise marginalized. But, like that brand completely nailed in their messaging, it’s important to recognize and support the diverse needs of all individuals, understanding that what was once ‘standard’ no longer fits our evolved understanding of inclusivity.
Seeing that brand’s inclusive statement inspired me to think about how I could incorporate this sense of belonging into my own work, whether it's in my personal projects, meeting new people, recruiting employees, or leading my team.
As a woman who has been overlooked not just because of my gender, but also because of my skin color, I understand the importance of creating space for professionals who don’t fit a traditional mold of what it “looks like” to be successful.
As professionals dedicated to fostering equitable and inclusive workspaces, we must raise the bar and to deepen our understanding of the realities faced by all our teammates and prospective employees—challenging assumptions and recognizing the full spectrum of gender marginalization.
If you’re also committed to creating more equitable spaces, keep reading for some valuable insight into what gender marginalization is, how it impacts our workplaces, and what we can do to improve our language and policies to center acceptance of all people.
Gender marginalization, explained
The term 'marginalization' refers to the social exclusion of groups deemed ‘unimportant’ or ‘powerless’ within a society or organization. When we talk about ‘marginalized genders,' we mean individuals whose gender identities and expressions fall outside the traditionally dominant male perspective, e.g. women, women of color, nonbinary, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, agender, and transgender individuals.
Despite their growing visibility, many organizational DEI discussions still leave these voices underrepresented and unheard. A glaring reason is the noticeable lack of women, people of color, trans, non-binary, and agender individuals in upper management positions.
Read more: What Do the Letters ‘LGBTQIA+’ Stand For?
Because of this uphill battle, individuals from marginalized genders often feel pressured to conform to traditional ‘standards of professionalism’. Black women, for example, are twice as likely to ‘code switch’ and adjust their speech, while LGBTQIA+ workers are 2.5 times more likely to change their appearance in order to ‘fit it’. Recent studies even show that cisgender employees earn over 30 percent more than their transgender counterparts, who also face significant challenges in acquiring and maintaining secure roles.
These pressures stem from workplace discrimination and microaggressions, making it difficult for marginalized genders to feel truly accepted and valued. They disproportionately face issues such as unequal pay, fewer promotions, limited access to professional development, and the need to take on extra work in hopes of advancing their careers compared to their traditional cisgender male counterparts.
To address these issues, organizations must implement inclusive practices that recognize and uplift marginalized genders. This involves creating safe spaces for open dialogue, ensuring fair pay, providing equal opportunities for professional development, and fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect. By doing so, organizations not only support marginalized individuals but also benefit from the diverse perspectives and talents they bring to the table.
Read more: Code-Switching: How Marginalized Employees Navigate Oppression at Work
The power of thoughtful language
Professionals have pointed out that gender will likely always play a role in workplace dynamics due to ingrained learned behaviors where we automatically notice gender information, much like how we tend to make immediate judgments about other aspects of appearance. However, we can do the work to recognize the nuance among identities in order to create space for inclusivity, respect, and equitable opportunity for advancement.
One of the most impactful first steps we can take toward creating an environment that elevates all individuals, not just those fitting into the cisgender male framework, is by reassessing and expanding the language we use to address each other. Inclusive language isn’t just about political correctness, it’s a fundamental practice to create an environment where everyone feels valuable and respected. This tactic helps to ensure that positive professional development is accessible to all, allowing the broader spectrum of marginalized groups to participate in and reap the benefits of advancement opportunities.
Organizations often unintentionally exclude several marginalized groups by defaulting to gender-defined qualifiers for membership initiatives, professional development, DEI training, and more. While these groups absolutely deserve support, expanding our language, where appropriate, creates space for all people to be included in discussions about equity. The phrase ‘For humans who’ stood out because it never excluded me as a target audience, while also ensuring that others with different identities felt acknowledged and catered to.
Think about the opportunities in job descriptions and company communications to make small but powerful tweaks that weed out gender-specific call outs and include all people. This could mean using gender-neutral terms like ‘professionals and leaders’ instead of ‘male and female’, or replacing common phrases like ‘ladies and gentlemen’ with more effective language like ‘team’, ‘everyone’, and ‘all’.
Challenge yourself, and encourage employees, to avoid assumptive language that imposes traditional gender roles on others. It’s becoming more of a standard practice on social platforms like Linkedin and Instagram to include pronouns as part of your profile. Encourage employees to share their pronouns as part of the Slack or Teams profiles, business cards, or email signatures. And, most importantly, respect them.
When broad identifiers must be used, we should name them all to ensure everyone feels welcome. For example, take a look at your company handbook. Does it include inclusive language? If the language does not explicitly cover a spectrum of identities and offer examples of gender-neutral benefits, this is your chance to advocate for necessary changes.
Adopting these small adjustments can significantly impact how included individuals feel recognized and supported—and ensures that our workplaces aren’t just making efforts to increase diversity, but are genuinely being inclusive.
Advancing gender inclusivity at work
There are several effective ways to initiate and support advanced discussions that address the needs of marginalized genders and identities in the work space. And it’s up to all of us to uphold safe spaces where employees can discuss their experiences without judgment.
Leaders need to establish the foundation, setting the tone by actively participating and showing support. Hosting forums and training sessions focused on gender dynamics, unconscious bias, and inclusive leadership is one idea to achieve this. Another effective strategy is to encourage the formation of Employee Resource Groups that provide a platform for marginalized groups to share experiences, advocate for their needs, build community, and amplify diverse voices across all levels of the company.
Creating channels for employee feedback is another helpful step. I once worked at a company that created an open anonymous form in which employees could share their concerns about day-to-day issues, DEI efforts, and perceived inequities. This approach actually worked well because not everyone feels comfortable addressing their manager or HR, or speaking up in town hall meetings. But if they’re given a forum to provide feedback in a safe environment without fear of retaliation, they’re more likely to speak up in some way. Regularly checking in on the workplace climate through a channel like this can help leaders make necessary adjustments that demonstrate a genuine commitment to inclusivity.
While you’re at it, take an audit of your hiring and promotion practices to work on eliminating bias from the process of advancement. Anonymous hiring processes, for example, ensure that all candidates are evaluated based on their qualifications alone and not ‘in-group’ selective hiring that tends to favor the cisgender male archetype.
And, perhaps the most important step you can take right now is to be mindful of how you interact with people in your day-to-day life. Creating gender-inclusive spaces is an ongoing effort that will require your dedication and commitment—and supporting marginalized genders starts with treating everyone with respect in every setting, not just following corporate policy. Strive to make inclusivity and mindfulness part of your everyday interactions, and in turn, you’ll help foster a truly inclusive environment ‘For humans who’ deserve to thrive both in and outside of work.
