In 2018, Barack Obama said we’re living in strange and uncertain times, and that statement is as true today as it was seven years ago. If anything, times have got stranger and become even more uncertain. The world has grappled with a pandemic, witnessed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and more recently a second Trump presidency that has ushered in a wave of policy reversals, including changes to DEI approaches.

We’re over 100 days into Trump’s term and it’s clear that Trump 2.0 is all about blowing up the status quo to start again. Whether it’s disrupting world trade with a dizzying array of trade tariffs or suggesting Canada should give up its sovereignty to become the 51st state, POTUS is certainly disrupting the status quo – though to what ends and at what cost is far from clear. Another area that seems to have caught Trump’s eye is DEI. He sees the abolition of DEI as a central plank of his ‘common sense’ approach to government and continues to put forward his view that DEI is fundamentally divisive and anti-meritocratic.

Trump’s quest to eradicate DEI entirely has led many American corporations to heavily reduce or altogether halt their DEI efforts. Meta, Amazon and Google have all been in the spotlight for changes they’ve made to their DEI initiatives, with critics arguing these are shallow attempts to curry favour with the new Trump administration. Here in the UK, businesses and the wider public have looked on with a degree of consternation. While some of the Trumpian culture war / wedge issues like trans inclusion in sport have become regular fixtures on the UK news agenda, (particularly right-wing news outlets), right now, compared to the U.S, we don’t seem to have same appetite for doing away with DEI altogether.

But is DEI in the UK safe in its current form?

In short, no. A key reason why Trump is attacking DEI is because he knows it’s a vote winner. He’s tapping into growing anti-DEI feeling that is based on the white, heterosexual, working class, male majority experience of DEI as being a tool that promotes the value of minorities while devaluing them as the majority. For the segment described above, it’s no wonder that they may find completing a DEI course that prioritises ethnicity, gender and sexuality above all else, and hammers home the need to exercise caution with pronouns and white privilege, at best dizzying, and at worst frustrating. It’s from this frustration and disenchantment that we then see actors like Trump and even influencers like Andrew Tate stepping in to ‘rationalise’ the world.

I’m not saying DEI in its current form is the reason we see misogyny becoming so visible these days, but it’s easy to see how misogynists can use DEI to promote their own disgusting views.

What next for DEI

DEI has its place in the workplace. The evidence that DEI contributes to happier workforces and ultimately better commercial outcomes for businesses is clear. But if DEI is to survive, it needs to reform.

Class matters

For DEI truly to be inclusive it needs to focus on class. Class isn’t classified as a protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act, so it’s easy to see why it doesn’t appear in DEI programs. But there is a strong case for including it.

Class can be a barrier to securing work and career progression. A report published last year by the Bridge Group, focused on socio-economic diversity in the Financial Services sector cited that:

1. Socio-economic diversity reduces the further up the management ladder you go.
2. Senior managers are more likely to have gone to an independent school than a state school.
3. People from middle class background are promoted six months faster than those from working class backgrounds.

Imagine how confusing it must be if you are a working-class, white male, who is from a disadvantaged background and participates in a DEI course at work only to be told they are in fact from a privileged background, when in fact their own lived experienced may feel anything but that.

DEI can address this by focusing on class. The inclusion of class within DEI opens the door to delivering workplaces that are more inclusive for people from working-class backgrounds. Whether it’s removing home address or school names from CVs, or ensuring interview panels are balanced, not just in terms of gender, race or sexuality, but in terms of class too. Most importantly though, it means DEI suddenly becomes more inclusive and those who may have previously felt left behind by DEI see its value.

By DEI speaking up for working class people, it means less opportunity for those with divisive agendas to step into the void to further their own ends. While it seems like time is ticking for DEI, there is certainly time to reform and reposition DEI as a valuable way for promoting diversity and inclusion for all, and that certainly includes class.