Comments on Question 7 (and 9)

[lkemmerer]

7. Do office conversations refrain from pointing out differences between women and non-women?

Conversations that regularly focus on the differences between types of team members are an example of othering behavior.

I think it's important to find a balance between phrasing this question as

1. pretending we're all the same to avoid conflict and
2. acknowledging differences in experience and increasing understanding.

From 7's citation of "othering" behavior, I know that's not what was intended. The wording of #7 feels a little like it's acceptable to communicate only with an intersection of two groups' interests and concerns while trying to sidestep potentially offensive issues. By including #9, the test reflects that it's not just a "be careful what you say so you don't seem insensitive to the experiences of the disadvantaged group," but to me, 7 and 9 are almost two sides of the same coin: acknowledging that advantaged/disadvantaged have different experiences, that they should be able to communicate about them and the feelings they invoke and that they should be able to do so in an open and honest manor. This way, a better understanding among coworkers can be achieved and the work environment may be more comfortable (hopefully) for everyone.

I realize that 7 and 9 are two separate, actionable tests, so perhaps re-wording 7 may be appropriate rather than merging the two together.

[ashedryden]

This is a good point. I think the idea of othering is important to keep in here, but it should be rephrased in such a way to draw attention to the negativeness that is regularly found in othering, rather than people discussing differences to help understand each other's point of view better.