What is DEI Anyway?

March 24, 2025

Graphic of coworkers talking, a woman smiling, four hands joining together and cogs and graphs. Title reads What is DEI Anyway? The Empower N L logo is in the lower right corner.

You might have been hearing a lot about DEI lately – but what is DEI anyway?
Firstly, let’s break down what the acronym stands for:

D = diversity
E = equity
I = inclusion

Diversity means having a mix of people (in this case in the workplace) with a variety of characteristics, including differences in things like gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, age, culture, social class, veteran status, or religion.

Equity essentially means fairness and justice and it is different from equality.
While equality is about giving everyone the same thing, equity recognizes that not everyone starts from the same point and that we need to address and fix these imbalances. On an individual level, it’s taking one person’s unique circumstances into account and adjusting treatment accordingly to get an equal end result. On a systemic level, it’s granting resources and decision-making power to groups that have been treated unfairly in the past, so that they can achieve equally to majority groups.

And finally, inclusion is the practice or policy of making sure everyone has the same access to opportunities and resources, especially for people who might usually be left out or treated unfairly, like those with disabilities or members of minority groups.

So, what is DEI anyway? It is systems within organizations/companies that aim to ensure everyone is treated fairly and can fully participate, especially groups that have been left out or faced discrimination because of their identity or disability.