In fact, as the inclusion stats improve, the wealth gap has widened. Diversity and inclusion in the workplace does not seem to be impacting equality on a broader scale. In advanced economies (as distinct from the developing world) some progress has been made in inclusion and diversity in government and business, and there are steps that we can take to continue to improve. However, improvements in D&I have not helped to eliminate inequality in society, either locally and globally. In fact, as the inclusion stats improve (i.e. more minorities in the workplace and in positions of authority) and income equality stats improve, the wealth gap (as measured by the Gini coefficient) has widened. This suggests that diversity and inclusion programmes in the workplace are not impacting equality on a broader scale. For example, the global wealth report 2015 showed that the UK had the 3rd greatest wealth inequality in the world in spite of our progress in diversity.
Further, according to the World Economic Forum, wealth and income inequality (between the richest and the poorest) has risen or remained stagnant in 20 of the 29 advanced economies while poverty increased in 17 countries. Although most emerging economies have improved in these respects-84% of them registered a decline in poverty-their absolute levels of inequality remain much higher. In addition, the report states, both in advanced and emerging economies, wealth is significantly more unequally distributed than income: "This problem has improved little in recent years, with wealth inequality rising in 49 economies."
To bring that down to a local level, the global wealth report 2015 showed that the UK had the 3rd greatest wealth inequality in the world in spite of our progress in diversity.
Some progress has been made in inclusion and diversity in government and the corporate world, and there are steps that we can take to continue to improve, but D&I programmes have not helped to eliminate inequality in society both locally and globally.
What if D&I is having the opposite effect to that which some of us would like? And how can we bring about a shift so that our D&I strategies result in real equality?
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INPUT REQUEST #1: Key Challenge