DEI Dictionary: Clarifying Diversity and Equity Language
The DEI Dictionary is an essential resource for anyone looking to understand the key terms related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It offers clear explanations of important concepts, making it easier to navigate complex topics. From accessibility to equity, the DEI Dictionary helps individuals and organizations foster a more inclusive environment.
Whether you’re working to create fairer workplace practices, or simply want to improve your understanding of DEI principles, this guide has you covered. It’s a comprehensive tool designed to deepen your knowledge and clarify crucial terms, empowering you to make positive changes. By exploring the DEI Dictionary, you can gain valuable insights into how to promote equity and inclusion effectively. The more you understand these concepts, the better equipped you are to address challenges related to diversity and inclusion.
- Ableism
- Accessibility
- Affirmative Action
- Ageism
- Allies
- Belonging
- Classism
- Colonialism
- Disability
- Discrimination
- Diversity
- Equality
- Equity
- First Nations People
- Gay
- Gender
- Harassment
- Homophobia
- Human Rights
- Implicit Bias
- Inclusion
- Inclusive Advancement
- Inclusive Recruitment
- Inclusive Selection
- Inclusive Workplace
- Indigenous
- Internalized Racism
- Intersectionality
- Islamophobia
- LGBTQIA2S+
- Meritocracy
- Microaggression
- Minority Group
- Oppression
- People of Colour
- Prejudice
- Privilege
- Psychological Safety
- Queer
- Race
- Racialized Person/Group
- Racism
- Reconciliation
- Religion
- Reparations
- Reverse Racism
- Sex
- Sexism
- Sexual Orientation
- Social Identity
- Stereotype
- Tokenism
- Tolerence
- Transgender
- Two-Spirit
- Visible Minority
- White/Whiteness
- Xenophobia
Ableism
The cultural, institutional and individual set of practices and beliefs that assign inferior values to people who are labelled with developmental, emotional, physical or psychiatric disabilities. It is the belief, conscious or unconscious, in the superiority of people who do not require disability-related accommodation in order to satisfy everyday work, academic, and personal obligations.
Accessibility
Refers to the state or quality of whether needed services or opportunities are available to, and are used by, the broadest spectrum of people. For example, people with disabilities often face barriers to accessibility in employment, communication, public transportation, public places, housing, office buildings, government services, use of everyday products and access to quality education. Accessibility is essential to achieving equity and inclusivity in the workplace.
Affirmative Action
A term predominantly used in the United States (non-existent in Canada) to describe a variety of measures designed to eliminate discrimination and to remedy the effects of past discrimination against designated non-dominant groups, usually in the area of employment. This process seeks to ensure all individuals have equal opportunity for employment regardless of race, colour, sex, religion, national origin, disability or other status.
Ageism
One of the 11 prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act. Prejudice, discrimination and hostility directed against certain persons on the grounds that their age category is “inferior” to another and that unequal treatment is thus justified. Ageism against the elderly is based on the notion that they are incapable of performing certain functions such as driving, or the young based on the notion that they are immature and therefore incapable of performing certain tasks.
Allies
Members of dominant groups who speak out and act against oppression in the belief that in doing so, all people benefit, regardless of race, gender, disability, or other social identities. White people working to end racism and men working to challenge sexism, are examples of allies.
Belonging
A sense of feeling accepted and being a part of a social group. Belonging to groups is an important motivator for human behaviour, both on conscious and unconscious levels. Fundamentally, group membership helps us make sense of our place in the world, removing ambiguity about ourselves and others.
Stories of Belonging: Finding Wholeness in a White World (podcast episode 17)
Classism
Practices, beliefs or attitudes assign differential value to people according to their perceived social class. Classism reinforces an economic hierarchy and excluding people due to income, occupation, education and/or their economic condition.
Colonialism
Usually refers to the period of European colonization from Columbus (1492) onwards, in the Americas, Asia and Africa, taking different forms from settler colonies like Canada to non-settler colonies such as India during British rule. Colonialism differs also across colonizing nations and across time. For example, French colonialism had different policies from British, while modern colonialism is often referred to as “globalization,” which includes the exploitation of labour and national resources by transnational corporations and the expansion of free trade agreements and blocs.
Disability
Following the approach suggested by the World Health Organization, people are considered to have a disability if they have a physical or mental condition/impairment that restricts them in their ability to perform activities that are normal for their stage of development and in their cultural environment. For Canadian adults these activities might include such things as personal care, working, travelling, shopping, using a telephone or doing daily tasks around the home.
Discrimination
To act on one’s prejudice or bias, consciously or unconsciously. On an individual level, all people can do this—discriminate—regardless of their background or identity as a member of a dominant and or non-dominant group.
In human rights laws, discrimination specifically means making a distinction between certain individuals or groups based on a prohibited ground of discrimination, including ancestry, ethnic origin, colour, race, religion, citizenship, place of origin, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), disability (including mental and physical disabilities), age, sexual orientation as well as family or marital status (opposite or same sex partners).
9 Ways to Challenge Institutional Discrimination in Your Organization (blog)
Diversity
A term used to encompass all the various differences among people – including race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic status, etc. – and commonly used in the United States and increasingly in Canada to describe workplace programs aimed at reducing discrimination promoting equality of opportunity and outcome for all groups. Concern has been expressed by social justice educators and race relations practitioners that diversity programs may water down efforts to combat racism in all its forms.
Diversity Training in the Workplace: 10 Success Factors (blog)
Equality
The state of being the same or equal in status, rights and opportunities. Equality represents the idea of “same treatment,” an idea with broad appeal in democratic societies. The limitation, however, is that treating everyone the same may not be treating them fairly (i.e. stairs disadvantage many with physical disabilities). As a result, equity is the preferred concept (see below).
Equity
The quality of being fair and impartial. Equity seeks to treat individuals according to their needs, recognizing that, sometimes, treating people the same is not necessarily treating them fairly. Equity, which encompasses and stretches past the popular concept of equality, recognizes that to achieve equal access and outcomes, a workplace must extend beyond a one-size-fits-all-approach.
What is a DEI Equity Audit? (blog)
First Nations People
The term reflects the process of self-naming of some Aboriginal groups in Canada today. The word “first” recognizes the fact that Aboriginal peoples are Canada’s first inhabitants and “nation” acknowledges the fact that Aboriginal peoples are a political collective with their own established forms of government. The term came into common usage in the 1970s to replace band or Indian, which some people found offensive (see Indian). Despite its widespread use, there is no legal definition for this term in Canada.
First Nations, however, should not be used as a synonym for Aboriginal Peoples because it does not include Inuit or Métis. Because the term First Nations People generally applies to both Status and Non-Status Indians, care should be taken in using this term. For example, a program that is only for Status Indian youth, should avoid using First Nations youth as it could cause confusion.
Gay
A sexual orientation describing people who are primarily emotionally and physically attracted to people of the same sex and/or gender as themselves. Commonly used to describe men who are primarily attracted to men, but can also describe women attracted to women.
Gender
Refers to the array of socially constructed roles and relationships, personality traits, attitudes, behaviours, values, relative power and influence that society ascribes to men and women on a differential basis. An individual’s gender identity is not necessarily the same as their biological sex.
Gender is relational and refers not simply to women or men but to the relationship between them. All societies are divided along the “fault lines” of sex and gender such that men and women are viewed differently with respect to their roles, responsibilities and opportunities, with consequences for access to resources and benefits.
Harassment
“Harassment” means an incident or incidents of verbal, written, visual, or physical conduct, including any incident conducted by electronic means, based on or motivated by a student’s or a student’s family member’s actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, marital status disability, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, that has the purpose or effect of objectively and substantially undermining and detracting from or interfering with a student’s educational performance or access to school resources or creating an objectively intimidating hostile, or offensive environment.
Some examples of harassment include:
- Displays of offensive posters, calendars, graffiti or computer graphics; leering, touching or suggestive behaviour.
- Intimidating or humiliating telephone calls or email messages; name calling or deliberate gestures.
Homophobia
Fear, negative attitudes and/or aversion about homosexuality. A contested term as some take issue with it being described as a phobia, which is a clinical term that implies “irrational” or “dysfunctional” rather than a cultural ideology that is rooted in a desire to maintain the heterosexual social order. Although homophobia is widely used, preferred terms are heterosexism or sexual prejudice.
Human Rights
Fundamental rights regarded as belonging to all people, which affirm and protect the right of every person to live and work without discrimination and harassment. Human rights are defined in the Universal Declaration of Human rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948. In Canada human rights are entrenched in the Canadian Human Rights Act at the federal level and in provincial human rights codes. The Canadian Human Rights Act prohibits practices in employment and in the provision of services that discriminate against people on the basis of prohibited grounds.
Implicit Bias
Unconscious, unacknowledged and/or implied prejudice that impacts human interactions on a daily basis. Researchers report that ordinary people harbor negative associations toward particular social groups on implicit measures of bias, even though they honestly report having no such bias at the conscious level.
Implicit bias predicts behavior, from simple acts of friendliness and inclusion to judgments of “goodness” or evaluation of the quality of work. Non-dominant groups such as visible minorities and women are most impacted by implicit bias in society.
Define Implicit Bias: It’s not Good or Bad, Just Human (blog)
Inclusion
The process that invites and validates marginalized groups who have traditionally been excluded from decision-making and policy development processes in communities. It provides the opportunities, supports and processes to enable women and communities to participate in the legal, social, political, economic and cultural benefits of society. In short, inclusion is a process of creating environments in which the broadest spectrum of people feel like they matter and belong.
Inclusive Advancement
Activities that promote job growth or expansion of job roles or responsibilities in a way that does not discriminate against any group, but empowers people to professionally advance their careers within the organization. Inclusive advancement is one facet of an inclusive workplace focusing on professional development, succession planning, leadership development, performance reviews, feedback and data collection.
Inclusive Recruitment
Recruitment is the process through which an organization attracts, assesses, and hires a candidate for a job. This stage of the process is an individual’s first experience with an organization, and it plays a vital role in the diversity of candidates an organization is able to attract, and eventually, retain. Inclusive recruitment is the process that provides equity at the earliest of the hiring process by creating standardized, transparent methods during recruitment in order to minimize the impact of bias and other subjective factors. Inclusive recruitment is one facet of an inclusive workplace focusing on analyzing workforce availability and community demographics as well as creating bias-free strategies in job descriptions, postings, advertising and recruitment pools.
Inclusive Selection
During the selection process, employers narrow down an applicant pool to identify a candidate that will be most successful for the posted position. The selection process starts when an organization receives applications and continues up until the point an offer is made to a candidate. At each major decision-making point the organization reduces the candidate pool until the end of the process where the “right” candidate is selected for the organization.
Inclusive Workplace
An environment where the process of relationship-building is embraced in order for all people to matter and belong, incorporating the principles of:
- Respect, dignity and celebration of our diversity and differences.
- Ensuring a barrier, discrimination and harassment-free environment for all people.
- Equitable rather than equal treatment of individuals to enhance fairness.
- Universal design in physical construction as well as organizational norms.
- Collaboration, fairness and justice regarding the surrounding community, be that local, national or global.
An inclusive workplace encompasses all aspects of an organization, including practices, policies, procedures, leadership, governance, culture and climate, data collection and training. A significant focus is placed on developing inclusive recruitment, retention and advancement strategies as part of the overall strategic plan.
Why Brave Conversations are an Essential Part of an Inclusive Workplace (blog)
Indigenous
Indigenous people are one of three peoples, also including Métis and Inuit, recognized as Aboriginal in the 1982 Constitution Act. In addition, three categories apply to Indigenous people in Canada: Status Indians, Non-Status Indians, and Treaty Indians. Some people may fit into more than one of those categories. Some people find the term “Indian” outdated and offe
nsive and prefer to identify themselves as First Nations people. Although the term “First Nation” is now widely used, there is no legal definition for it.
Indian also refers to a person living in or from India. Avoid using East Indian or Asian Indian, instead use Indo-Canadian or the broader category of South Asian. When distinguishing from First Nations, use “people from India” or “South Asian Canadians” when referring to people of Indian ancestry living in Canada.
Indigenous Erasure and Resistance in Canada (blog)
Internalized Racism
A term used to describe one of the impacts of racism on visible minority members and Aboriginal people who internalize and believe the negative messages and stereotypes about the marginal or low-status role of their group in society. People suffering from internalized racism may dislike the physical characteristics that make them racially distinct such as skin color, hair texture or eye shape. Others may stereotype those from their own racial group and refuse to associate with them while some may self-identify as White.
Intersectionality
An overlapping of social identities that can “add up” positively or negatively, thereby increasing or decreasing one’s potential for acceptance and success in the workplace and society. The more dominant ingroups an individual belongs to in a workplace (e.g., White plus male plus heterosexual) the more they benefit from the ingroup power that exists through the unstated norms, rules and characteristics of the workplace. Conversely, the more outgroup identities (e.g., visible minority plus female plus disabled) may make it tougher to feel a sense of belonging within a workplace that lacks awareness to diversity and inclusion.
Islamophobia
Islamophobia is a term used to describe fear, aversion, or active discrimination against Islam or Muslims who practice Islam. It often targets symbols and markers of Islam, like mosques and those who wear the hijab. Islamophobia can manifest in a variety of ways, from everyday acts of exclusion (e.g.referring to Muslims as “terrorists” ) to larger acts of violence (e.g., physically harming those who appear Muslim). It is a form of systemic discrimination upheld by a political, religious, and institutional ideology that frequently uses non-dominant identities as excuses for wider societal issues (e.g., crime rates).
Fireside Chat with Zarqa Nawaz, Muslim Comedian, Author and Showrunner (podcast episode 10)
LGBTQIA2S+
An acronym that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and gender-diverse, and/or those who identify on the spectrum of sexuality and/or gender identity.
Meritocracy
A social system where people achieve their status based on their abilities, qualifications, experience, and work performance, rather than based on other characteristics such as personal relationships, age, gender or race. Although many believe that Canadian society and workplaces are meritocracies — that individuals succeed or fail due to their skills and qualifications alone—decades of research on systemic discrimination and implicit bias significantly disprove this perspective.
Microaggression
The everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership (such as people of color, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, immigrants). In many cases, these hidden messages may invalidate the group identity or experiential reality of target persons, demean them on a personal or group level, communicate they are lesser human beings, suggest they do not belong with the majority group, threaten and intimidate, or relegate them to inferior status and treatment.
Recognizing and Managing Microaggressions at Work (blog)
Minority Group
Refers to a group of people in a society that are either small in numbers or has little or no access to social, economic, political or religious power.
Oppression
Prolonged, unjust or cruel treatment with a secondary meaning of “mental pressure or distress.” In social justice work, this definition is expanded to encompass a situation in which one group consciously or unconsciously exploits another for its own social benefit, usually over a historical time period resulting in the unequal treatment being so systemic that it looks “normal.” Oppression is a weaving of the social, political and economic forces in society that systematically disadvantage non-dominant groups and benefit members of dominant groups. This may also be equated to systemic discrimination as well as bias of the dominant ingroup (White, middle-to-upper class, heterosexual, male, able-bodied) creating barriers for respective outgroups (Visible minority and Aboriginal people, working class, LGBTQIA2S+, female, disabled).
People of Colour
A term that applies to members of racial minorities, who are not White or Aboriginal. This term emerged from the United States as one attempt by racial minatory people to name themselves in a positive manner, rather than as “non-whites,” “coloured,” “ethnics,” or “visible minorities.” Although people of colour is still commonly used, some now prefer the term racialized people which emphasizes that race is a social construct rather than a description of perceived biological traits.
How Leaders of Color can set Effective Boundaries at Work (blog)
Prejudice
From the Latin, “to judge in advance.” Prejudice is a pre-conceived idea or bias about a person or group of people, and may not be based on reason or actual experience. A state of mind or a set of attitudes that casts the others in an inferior light despite the absence of legitimate or sufficient evidence.
Privilege
In the context of diversity and inclusion, privilege refers to unearned power and access due to one’s social identity. For example, in a society in which White people are dominant, “Whiteness” confers unconscious economic, social and political advantages based on race or ethnicity that should, in fact, be available to all people.
Psychological Safety
Psychological safety refers to the ability of workplace team members to raise concerns and questions, challenge ideas as well as admit to mistakes without fear of humiliation of retaliation by supervisors or peers. This is the #1 factor in high-performing teams and also critical to the success of DEI in organizations.
The Need and Limits of Psychological Safety in the Workplace (podcast episode 25)
Queer
An umbrella term describing people who think of their sexual orientation or gender identity as outside of societal norms. Some people view the term queer as more fluid and inclusive than traditional categories for sexual orientation and gender identity. Although queer was historically used as a slur, it has been reclaimed by many as a term of empowerment. Nonetheless, some still find the term offensive.
Race
Race is a social construct that groups people on the basis of common ancestry and characteristics and affects how some people are perceived and treated. Race is often confused with ethnicity (a group of people who share a particular cultural heritage or background); there may be several ethnic groups within a racialized group.
Race is one of the 11 prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code. Although not defined, this ground along with two other prohibited grounds in the Act, “colour” and “national or ethnic origin,” are intended to get at the societal problem often referred to as “racism.” Because the three grounds are closely related, complaints filed with the Canadian Human Rights Commission frequently cite all three.
Racialized Person/Group
A term preferred by many over “racial minority,” “visible minority,” “person of colour,” or “non-White” as it emphasizes that race is a socially constructed idea rather than as a description based on perceived biological differences. These other terms also treat “White” as the norm to which racialized persons are to be compared and have a tendency to group all racialized persons in one category, as if they are all the same.
Racism
A form of systemic discrimination or oppression based on ethno-cultural or racial factors. The short form is Racism = Prejudice + Power. Only when a group’s racially prejudiced ideas about another group are coupled with systemic power, can racism exist. When non-dominant group members act on their prejudice, it may be considered racial discrimination—which is also wrong and painful—but it is not racism. Racism is a system of oppression with a magnitude of impact that is so much greater than individual acts of discrimination, and in order to dismantle racism, power must be clearly identified as well as shared equitably.
Developing Racial Pattern Recognition Skills to Undo Racism (podcast 6)
Reconciliation
Within the Canadian context, reconciliation refers to the ongoing process where the Government of Canada works cooperatively with Indigenous people to establish and maintain a framework fostering strong, sustainable and healthy relationships for living together.
Indigenous Erasure and Resistance in Canada (blog)
Religion
Religion refers to the person’s self-identification as having a connection or affiliation with any religious denomination, group, body, sect, cult or other religiously defined community or system of belief. Religion is not limited to formal membership in a religious organization or group.
Reparations
While this term is used in many different contexts, within justice, equity, and inclusion work, the term reparations refers to symbolic and/or material compensation provided to redress harms done to non-dominant/minoritized communities, most often used in the United States to refer to financial compensation for the long reaching legacy of slavery for African Americans. The call for reparations intensified in 2020, amidst the protests against police brutality and the COVID-19 pandemic, which both resulted in killing Black Americans disproportionately.
Reverse Racism
Reverse racism refers to a concept that claims that services, supports, and policies aimed at redressing racial inequality are forms of anti-white racism. Specifically, it implies that social movements supporting people of color (e.g., affirmative action) inherently disadvantage white communities. While it is a fallacy that often disregards the historical, political, and societal contexts in which these programs exist, it is often used to express feelings of unfairness from mostly conservative white communities struggling with changing norms and other forms of systemic oppression (e.g. classism).
Sex
Generally refers to biological differences between males and females. Sex is one of the 11 prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code. Although not defined, the term has been clarified through jurisprudence to refer to the condition of being male or female. Under section 3(2) of the Act, discrimination related to pregnancy or child-birth is considered to be discrimination on the ground of sex.
Sexism
A form of systemic discrimination that subordinates women, privileges men and debases women-identified values, consciously or unconsciously. The short form is Sexism = Prejudice + Power. Although women can also act on their prejudice, it may be considered gender-based discrimination—which is also wrong and painful—but it is not sexism. Sexism is a system of oppression with a magnitude of impact that is so much greater than individual acts discrimination, and in order to dismantle sexism, power must be clearly identified as well as shared equitably regardless of gender identity.
Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation is a way to describe who you may be attracted to physically/sexually, and emotionally. It is a personal characteristic that forms part of who you are. It covers the range of human sexuality and is different from gender identity. Sexual Orientation is one of the 11 prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Social Identity
That part of an individual’s self-concept that derives from belonging to groups, when both value and emotions are associated to such membership. Belonging to groups is a key driver of human behaviour, both consciously and unconsciously, and social identities begin to form as we become aware of belonging to one or more groups. For example, gender identity begins very early as many toddlers learn by age 3 that wearing a dress is “only for girls,” as is the colour pink.
Stereotype
A generalization about a group of people that can be based on a kernel of truth, an exaggeration or may be completely false, resulting in the unconscious or conscious categorization of each member of that group, without regard for individual differences. Stereotyping may relate to race or age; ethnic, linguistic, religious, geographical, or national groups; social, marital or family status; sexual orientation; physical, developmental or mental abilities; and/or gender. Stereotypes can be either positive and negative.
Tokenism
The practice of making a perfunctory or symbolic effort or gesture. With regards to diversity and inclusion, tokenism refers to any legislation, admissions policy, hiring practice, etc. that only minimally complies with rules, laws or public pressure to include women and other marginalized groups (e.g., appointing one woman to the all-male board of directors).
Tolerence
Acceptance and willingness to abide with opinions or endure behaviours that one does not necessarily agree with. In the context of diversity, tolerance is a less preferred principle because the term suggests “putting up with” groups that are different from ourselves rather than acceptance or inclusion.
Transgender
An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Sometimes abbreviated as trans. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.
How to Make your Workplace more Inclusive for Transgender, Non-Binary and Gender Diverse People (blog)
Two-Spirit
An umbrella term that encompasses a number of understandings of gender and sexuality among many Indigenous North Americans — has its roots in traditions and cultures dating back centuries. Sometimes acknowledged in the abbreviation of LGBTQ2. Not all Native cultures conceptualize gender this way, and most tribes use names in their own languages.
Visible Minority
The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as “persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.” As of June 2009, Statistics Canada considers the visible minority population to consists predominantly of the following groups: Chinese, South Asian, Black, Arab, West Asian, Filipino, Southeast Asian, Latin American, Japanese and Korean.
White/Whiteness
A social category of colour that refers to people belonging to the dominant group in Canada. It is recognized that there are many different individuals who are “White” and who face discrimination because of their social identity be that age, class, ethnicity, gender, geographic origin, language, sexual orientation or religion. Grouping all these individuals as “White” is not to deny the real forms of discrimination that individuals of certain ancestry (e.g. Greeks, Italians, Portuguese, etc.) face because of the above factors. Nevertheless, in terms of physical appearance this group of individuals may appear “White” in this society where there it is the dominant social colour and benefit from the resulting privileges.
WTF Is Whiteness? A Decoding Race Primer
Xenophobia
An individual or group’s unprovoked and/or unjustified hatred towards people perceived as foreign or different.
At the international level, no universally accepted definition of xenophobia exists, though it can be described as attitudes, prejudices and behaviours that reject, exclude and often vilify persons, based on the perception that they are outsiders or foreigners to the community, society or national identity. There is a close link between racism and xenophobia, two terms that are hard to differentiate from each other.
All definitions are sourced from current academic and legal sources. Please contact us if you would like the reference list.
