Editorial: Backtracking on diversity unacceptable as anti-DEI moves grow under Trump
Efforts to respect diversity are experiencing a headwind. It is crucial to face the reality of persistent discrimination and prejudice in society and aim to create an environment where everyone can find their place and play an active role.
Shortly after taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order abolishing the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that had been advanced under the previous administration of Joe Biden.
DEI is a collective term for efforts aimed at correcting discrimination based on gender, race, religion, disability and more. It represents the idea of guaranteeing fair opportunities in workplaces and organizations for people who have historically been treated unfairly.
The origins of DEI date back to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The expansion of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which saw a significant surge after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, led many U.S. companies to step up their DEI efforts. However, in light of Trump's policies, reviews of these measures are accelerating.
A means to attack liberalism
Companies like Meta Platforms Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and McDonald's Corp. have moved to abolish or downsize their DEI initiatives. Measures include disbanding internal teams responsible for these efforts, and retracting numerical targets for hiring and promoting women. This is seen partly as a move to avoid the risk of unfavorable treatment from the Trump administration.
Behind the intensifying criticism of DEI lies the decline of manufacturing in the United States due to globalization and digitalization. Production bases shifted to countries with lower labor costs, leading to job losses in the Rust Belt states. Meanwhile, wealth was concentrated in large U.S.-based IT companies, widening the gap between the wealthy and the working class.
Ignoring these realities, Trump has argued that jobs and promotions that white workers should have received were taken by those supposedly favored under DEI. This rhetoric attracts people who feel disadvantaged in hiring and promotions.
Judicial decisions have also influenced corporate responses. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that "affirmative action," which takes race into account in university admissions, violates the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection under the law. This change to a previous judgment is attributed to the increase in conservative justices during the first Trump administration.
DEI, however, aims to correct systems that disadvantage certain people. Discrimination and prejudice cannot be resolved overnight, and continuous efforts are necessary.
Trump, who proposed abolishing DEI policies, has used "anti-DEI" as a means to draw in those opposed to DEI and political correctness, and to attack liberals.
One particular target has been transgender individuals. Trump issued executive orders that defined sex as individuals' "biological classification as either male or female," and excluded transgender people from the military and women's sports.
Transgender individuals often struggle with the gap between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity. The view that "only birth gender exists" ignores the reality and denies the existence of transgender people as a sexual minority.
The foolish act of turning back the clock
In Europe, the exclusionary atmosphere is also growing. A politician from Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party mocked the national soccer team for the 2024 European Championship as a "mercenary squad" due to the high number of immigrant players. The party surged to become the second-largest in the general election this February.
The method of stirring up dissatisfaction with increasing immigration and refugees to garner support is similar to Trump's approach.
There is concern that Trump's style of anti-DEI may spread in Japan too. The reality in Japan is that women's social advancement in politics and economics is extremely delayed, even by international standards. It is unacceptable to conveniently adopt U.S. trends as an excuse for inaction.
Mamiko Chiya, a senior researcher at the think tank JTUC Rengo Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards, points out, "Diversity and inclusiveness in society are essential elements for guaranteeing the human rights of all people. Respecting the rights of minorities is fundamental to democracy, where everyone can participate in politics and express their opinions freely."
It is unacceptable to turn back the clock on the history of moving toward a discrimination-free society. What is needed in politics now is a full commitment to realizing an inclusive society.
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