Workplace Diversity Experts

As companies grew in the 20th century, labor unions and laws increased to protect employees’ rights. Antidiscrimination laws that were enacted in the 1960s included the Equal Pay Act, Civil Rights Act, and Age Discrimination in Employment Act, among others. In the decades since, more antidiscrimination laws have been passed, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, to help create work environments that are fair for all.

In the late 1980s and during the 1990s, diversity training and education grew in businesses in the U.S. The Diversity Officer Magazine described the increased focus on workplace diversity at this time as a reaction to the civil rights movement. "Social change in order to achieve a more stable society prevailed as the rationale for the education, which primarily focused on training to increase sensitivity towards and awareness of racial differences." Education and training regarding gender diversity evolved in the 1970s and 1980s, and has since grown to focus on other groups as well that have experienced employment discrimination based on their identity, such as ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, and other views. Since the 1980s, colleges and universities have added diversity courses to their general education requirements.

Many companies in a wide variety of industries consult with and hire workplace diversity experts for help with strategizing and developing hiring, training, and management practices that are focused on diversity and inclusion. Today's workplace diversity experts help businesses improve their employee and management relationships across genders, cultures, and religions.

During the early days of his second administration, President Trump Administration signed three executive orders that sought to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the public and private sectors. The president declared that DEI programs were “illegal and immoral," and has been seeking to force large corporations, professional associations, educational institutions, foundations, and nonprofits to eliminate these programs. Some companies and other organizations have continued to expand their DEI programs, while others have reduced or eliminated their initiatives. In the long term, it is uncertain how the administration's executive orders will affect the status of DEI programs outside the federal government.