No More Pinkwashing: How India Inc Can Bring Accountability To DEI Commitments

There is an accountability problem with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in companies. Every year, we continue to see corporate pledges to equality that are often accompanied by glitzy marketing campaigns with vague commitments to gender equality and LGBTQIA+ inclusion. This is, in some senses, a good thing. Most of us would agree that equality is a goal that society should aspire towards, so what’s the problem if companies add their voices to the cause?

For starters, these commitments often don’t translate to real-world impact - workplace discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation or physical/mental abilities continues to be a pervasive reality. For example, the participation of women in the labour force lags behind men and has regressed in recent decades. 

The Many Pitfalls Of Pinkwashing

So many of these commitments read as hollow, especially when they are unsupported by internal numbers within the company. But perhaps more importantly, every additional hollow promise erodes public trust in the very concept of DEI, offering ammunition to those who feel uncomfortable with a more inclusive world where they may have less power or privilege. Ultimately, the real worth of corporate commitments to equality can only be measured by the extent to which they are followed through – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) pledges are of no utility until real progress is made. And this won’t happen until companies are held accountable on this front by the public and, just as importantly, themselves. 

And we need to do so urgently because unless we re-engineer our relationship with DEI, we run the risk of subverting the concept itself. We could pervert Its original vision of moving us closer to a utopia of equality, equity and empowerment by telling tall tales that lock us into the horrors of the present. Otherwise known as "pinkwashing", this phenomenon – a show of lights and mirrors with progressive messaging to distract us from an organisational failure to improve substantively, systemically, and culturally – is especially insidious.

When companies substitute symbolism for substance and propaganda for progress, they not only fail women, queer people and people with disabilities (both within their ranks and in general) but also betray broader societal movements towards equity.

Thankfully, the solution is relatively straightforward, even if it may be hard to execute – achieve real progress on gender-based discrimination. The reasons for pursuing DEI should now be beyond dispute and should not have to be reiterated here, especially when the arguments for DEI have been validated by the likes of Harvard and Davos. But making meaningful progress on DEI will require companies to expand their approach beyond ticking checkboxes and spouting buzzwords - in other words, there needs to be real and meaningful accountability.

Bringing accountability to DEI

So, what do reimagined DEI initiatives with accountability at their core look like? Instead of being filled with vague commitments and empty platitudes, there should be clarity in how organisations are measuring, monitoring and improving their DEI initiatives. These initiatives also need to be year-round, and not just on Women’s Day or during Pride Month. Instead of these days being a time where we celebrate women or the LGBTQIA+ community, they should be a time where we check up on whether marginalised professionals were celebrated and empowered at companies throughout the year. Instead of making pledges, we should be honouring them. Only with accountability can we achieve any meaningful progress towards DEI and come closer to the utopia of equity and inclusion.

What are specific steps that can be taken for organisations to go beyond performative compliance with DEI and honour its spirit? They could start with the bare minimum (which many companies don’t meet) – recruitment and pay parity targets that are measured and revised annually. But these are merely means to an end. A big reason why diversity is of such utility is that diverse perspectives and backgrounds result in diverse opinions, ensuring that any proposal is more likely to be rigorously challenged rather than succumb to groupthink.

Achieving diversity therefore means creating environments where varied perspectives of all genders, castes, generations, sexual orientations, etc. are not only welcomed to the table but are integral to the fabric of how the company functions in the day-to-day.

But diversity is just one aspect of DEI. The moment you truly listen and understand diverse perspectives it becomes clear that not everyone has the same access to opportunities or starting points in life. If life is a race, many are forced to begin behind the starting line - it is quite common for marginalised communities to work twice as hard as someone more privileged for the same opportunities. This struggle is even more pronounced for people who sit at the intersection of multiple identities like gender, race, caste and sexual orientation, whether it is with access to education and housing, workplace discrimination, violence or other areas of life.

A culture of inclusion

The final piece of the DEI puzzle, inclusion, is in some ways the hardest. Diversity quotas and new bathrooms will only get you so far unless there is genuine buy-in from everyone involved. This is true of any collective human enterprise regardless of its scale, from communes and companies to countries and constitutions. B.R. Ambedkar, who is perhaps one of the foremost authorities on inclusion in India, remarked that the morality of people could corrupt a good constitution just as it could redeem a bad one. This is why DEI policies are in some ways irrelevant unless DEI permeates every corner of an organisation and is a core part of its culture.

There is a reason why the Indian Constitution begins with commitments to fraternity as well as equality and liberty. In Ambedkar’s words, “Without fraternity, liberty and equality could not become a natural course of things. It would require a constable to enforce them… Without fraternity, equality and liberty will be no deeper than coats of paint.” Fraternity can be hard to grow, especially in the transactional petri dishes that are large corporations, but pursuing its base ingredients of empathy, sensitivity and understanding can help companies get closer. 

Accountability is a marathon

Ultimately, the utopia that DEI strives towards is a multi-generational exercise that we are, at best, midway through. The moral arc of the universe may veer towards justice, but it is also long. So corporations should not be too quick to pat themselves on the back for promises made during Pride or on Women’s Day. If they feel compelled to do so, at least let it be to only boast about the progress achieved.

Genuine demonstrations of positive change will not only resonate more with audiences than any flashy pledge but, they will also distinguish companies that are truly invested in DEI from those who wear it as a seasonal accessory. If we can hold companies to this standard of accountability we will come closer to ensuring that the celebration of equality is not confined to a single day or month during the calendar but is a mundane, everyday practice.

Authored by Shreya Krishnan Managing Director, AnitaB.Org India