5 Things / Spellcheck
When a system is redesigned so that inclusion is the default, there's less risk of human bias. (That's why Inclusive 360 is so focused on systems change.) But in order to change the systems, we have to identify the areas of opportunity. That's of the reasons I've been so impressed by Geena Davis's Institute for Gender in Media and its Spellcheck for Bias program, developed in partnership with USC. The program uses artificial intelligence to analyze film and television scripts for diversity (originally gender diversity).
After a successful pilot at NBCUniversal that analyzed and increased Latine representation in content, the program is being expanded to analyze the representation of characters and percentage of dialogue by gender, race, LGBTQIA, disabilities, Age 50+ and Body Type.
The Geena Davis Institute also recently worked with Lego to interview children and audit Lego products to address gender stereotypes and establish a more inclusive path forward in product design and marketing.
This matters because stereotypes in media and product design lead to stereotypes everywhere else. Diversity in media and products can generate beautiful possibility models for younger folks. Personally, it simply astounds me how beautifully LGBTQ+ stories are told now, and it seems like we've come so far, just in my lifetime, but the reality is that the percentage of LGBTQ representation went down this year, so there's a lot more work to be done to tell the stories of underrepresented folks. Spellcheck for Bias is an important step.
Here are some of the other good vibes I learned this week:
The online fashion store Asos has unveiled some best-in-class gender-neutral benefits, including PTO for fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, and menopause. This clearly matters to the people affected, but the company updated the benefits, in part, to "increase awareness of the impact of such common life events.” This destigmatization really matters.
For years, Non-Disclosure Agreements have been used by companies to minimize public employee complaints. The has effectively silenced many employees who have experienced harassment or discrimination. The U.S. state of California now has a law that gives employees the right to speak out, even if they've signed NDAs. This matters because it will lead to greater accountability within organizations.
Target is one of my favorite companies to follow, and I particularly appreciate their commitment to equity. Their newest cohort of their internal environmental sustainability program is specifically for women and BIPOC-owned businesses in the beauty and personal care space. This matters because the program will give these founders access to the resources to help them create more sustainable products that are, in turn, more attractive to consumers.