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This post was first published in June 2018 in eMessenger.
If we could alter society to become a just and inclusive society where everyone flourishes, what would that look like? What changes would need to be made?
We all have bias and these often influence what we say and do without us being aware of it. With our values, beliefs, and preconceived notions colour our world. We create stereotypes that we use to make snap judgments of people and situations. The stereotypes can keep us safe when we read a dangerous situation, however they can also lead us astray.
In the 1970s 5% of musicians in the world’s most prestigious orchestras were women. This grew to 12% in the 1980s. Today most orchestras have 40% female musicians. Some are 50:50 and some women outnumber the men. How did this change come about?
Orchestras changed how they auditioned from personal invitations to advertising publicly and the number of auditions quintupled. However the most significant change was that musicians auditioned behind a curtain and were given numbers not names. They were evaluated on the music they produced only. The curtain or screen meant that race and gender no longer played a part in the decision making. Decisions were made purely on merit. This was a brilliant way to address the bias.
There is a great website where you can see how bias and our decisions can shape the world we live in – check out the slightly shapist society of the polygons http://ncase.me/polygons/
So what can we do about it? Is it about equality or equity? Because there is a real difference.
This is what equality looks like – it is being fair. Everyone is treated equally and given the same supports and resources. They are given equal opportunities regardless of their individual circumstances. This concept that everyone will benefit from the same support fails to account for the deficits which may prevent access to opportunities like the person on the far right in the picture. When everyone is given the same advantage it does not result in the same outcome. The assumption that fairness creates equality is flawed. Giving everyone the same thing only works if everyone starts from the same place.
Then there is equality – where the resources are distributed based on individual need. This means that everyone can now watch the game. Not only is this based on deficit thinking, there are also those that will question the whole scenario by saying that everyone should just buy a ticket in the stadium and not try to beat the system and watch the game for free. This puts the responsibility back on these people outside the fence and assumes that they have the money to buy a ticket. They could be working hard at several minimum wage jobs but not have enough money to buy a ticket after they pay rent and food.
But what about this third image where the fence has been changed to one that the people can see through without any support? In this image the systemic barrier preventing access has been removed – the cause of the inequality has been addressed and there is arguably liberation or justice.
Perhaps we need to be looking for the barriers? With the view to either tearing them down or putting them up so we do not let our bias influence our decision making like in the blind auditions. We are living in a time where we are looking at child poverty and what we can do to reduce it; there is a tax working group looking at how we tax people and whether there is a better way to redistribute wealth. We know that wealth is unevenly distributed in NZ with the top 1% holding 20% of all the wealth and the poorest holding 3% of total wealth. And NZ’s two wealthiest people own the same amount as the poorest 30% in NZ. The gap between rich and poor is increasing and the inequality impacts on society as it creates haves and have nots – us and them mentality.
Surely a just and inclusive society where all people can flourish is a society that leaves no one behind. One that empowers and promotes the social, economic, and political inclusion of everyone, irrespective of their age, sex, ability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic class or other status. We should be embracing diversity and ensuring everyone’s human rights are upheld and everyone is treated with dignity. If we are open, flexible and consultative perhaps we could achieve a more just and inclusive society?
Ngā mihi nui
Carol Barron, National Coordinator
03 375 0512 | 027 561 9164 | Carol@MethodistAlliance.org.nz
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