Female PNW students worry the end of diversity programs will hurt women’s chances of getting a job.
“It could impact opportunities in fields where women are underrepresented,” said Mackenzie Carver, a junior Nursing major. “The right qualifications for a job can go a long way, but it can be difficult to be hired if you were never considered in the first place.”
Samantha Stemp, a senior Cybersecurity major, believes eliminating diversity programs means all her hard work at PNW will come to nothing.
“I … fear that when I apply to jobs, I won’t get the same opportunities as the men my age,” she said. “I think being in a technology field, being a woman, is already difficult enough. If I have the exact same skills, or if I have better skills than my male, particularly white, counterpart, it’s really messed up that I might not even get a chance.”
Most reports on the abolition of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs have focused on the potential impact on Black and Hispanic workers. However, women make up 47% of the nation’s labor force and more than half of its population.
“Men get affected, but women get hit even more,” said Talina Santos, a sophomore Computer Information Technology major. “Men already have a lot more power than women in businesses and all that. … There is going to be little to no diversity in the workplace.”
A 2024 study of female workers reports they hold just 29% of CEO roles in the U.S, up from 20% in 2017. The “Women in the Workplace” report, by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company and Lean In, an organization promoting women’s advancement, links the increase of women managers to corporate DEI policies.
“Overall there has been moderate growth [in women rising to leadership positions], however, there [is] still more work to do to make it equitable,” said Dan Wilbur, professor of Communication and Health Studies. “I fear the elimination of DEI will have a negative effect and reduce the gains we’ve made for women.”
Some students feel eliminating DEI programs could hurt their chances of getting job interviews.
“The effort to eliminate DEI programs is extremely detrimental to me,” Alayna Biro, senior Behavioral Science major. “I fear it will be difficult to get a job as they might not want to hire a woman. … It is alarming to hear about this as it can potentially impact my future career, financial stability and even mental health.”
Junior Kayla Mabon agrees with Biro.
“The elimination of DEI programs in government and business will most likely reduce opportunities for women’s advancement, increase discrimination in the workplace and widen the gender pay gap,” said the Health Science and Pre-med major. “Unfortunately, removing these programs could reverse the huge progress made towards gender equality in recent years.”
In the past year, several companies have dismantled or scaled back their DEI commitments. Some of the companies that have been public in their efforts include Walmart, Ford, Lowe’s, John Deere, Boeing, Harley-Davidson, JPMorgan Chase and Toyota.
President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from universities that refuse to scrap diversity and equity programs. A U.S. District judge temporarily blocked the administration last month.
“For all women, I think it is really scary because it allows companies to express sexism with no real repercussions,” said Leah Navarro, a senior Nursing major.
Colette Morrow, director of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, believes the people likely to be harmed most are women who fall into other groups that benefit from DEI policies – such as people of different ethnicities, sexualities, races or those who are disabled.
“These identities intersect to create mutually reinforcing combinations of privilege and oppression,” she said. “What this means is that a person who occupies multiple socio-cultural identities covered by DEI likely will face more extreme marginalization and disenfranchisement.”
Isabella Lowery, junior History major, expects to feel the brunt of the change.
“Efforts to eliminate DEI programs will make it harder for myself and other black women to find a job because the programs are in place to make sure everyone has a fair chance,” she said. “Having experienced my fair share of racism, it’s scary that implicit and explicit biases of workplaces can potentially thwart my chance of getting hired … I hate to think that I would lose out on opportunities because of who I am.”
Joseph Cimino, Alexia Collazo, Darryll Coleman, Jessica Hicks, Paula Jappelt, Joel Ramos and Kristina Vazquez contributed to this story.
