What is a Diversity Statement?
Diversity statements have become more and more common over recent years, and are often a required part of applications for both universities and employment. Much like the other elements of personal narrative statements that make up an application (personal statements, resumés/CVs, cover letters, etc.), Diversity statements are intended to illustrate past experiences and values that emphasize what diversity means for your audience: the application or hiring committee that will read your documents.
What do these applications mean by “diversity”?
In general, university departments and sites of employment are interested in “diversity” in a number of ways, including, importantly, building a diverse student body/workforce. This notion of diversity can also be apparent in the focus of your work or in your approach, particularly if you are applying for a research degree (e.g., how will your research include diverse or underserved populations?). You can also use “diversity” as a personal and professional value (e.g., why is a diverse workplace/professional focus important to you?).
When applications mention the word “diversity,” they refer to a number of identity categories that may include the following:
- race
- ethnicity
- gender
- disability status
- citizenship status
- sexual orientation
- religious affiliation
- socio-economic status
While this is not a complete list, it is intended to give you common categories of how you, as the writer of a diversity statement, might choose to approach the broader term “diversity.”
Approaching Your Diversity Statement
When you start composing your statement, you probably want to start by defining “diversity” for yourself. Here are some guiding questions that might help:
- What does “diversity” mean to you?
- What does diversity mean within your field?
- How do you see increased diversity positively impacting your field in the future?
- How does diversity positively impact how you approach your work?
- How has diversity assisted with your personal or professional growth?
- How does your research contribute to positive values around diversity in your field?
These questions are not exhaustive, and, where possible, you should respond to the organization’s specific prompt or statement on diversity (if one is accessible).
Composing your Diversity Statement
Once you decide how you want to approach your Diversity Statement, the composition of the statement itself should mirror effective personal statements more generally.
As a rule, your diversity statement should make it clear both your own strengths in this area (what diversity means to you, personally and professionally), and, ideally, how your conception of diversity fits in with the institution or organization you’re applying to. Put another way, you want to tell your audience about your own strengths while connecting these strengths explicitly to their workplace/university, since all application documents are arguing that you’re a good fit for a given professional environment.
You also want your diversity statement to be specific and thus memorable: While broad articulations of values can be helpful in making abstract points, make sure you back up these points with characteristic examples that illustrate what you’re talking about. These specific examples act as evidence for your audience: while the audience does not know you personally, specific examples can help them to get a sense of how you put your values into practice in real life.
Even though the genre of diversity statements is relatively recent, compared to research statement and teaching philosophy, its organization often reproduces the following structure:
- Your understanding of diversity
This first section addresses your current view of diversity, which should generally align with the view of the institution you are applying to.
- Your experience relative to diversity
This second section points out past experiences that illustrate the values and your understanding of diversity.
- Your potential contributions to diversity
This third section refers to future initiatives that you might implement or be involved with in the institution you are applying to.
What to Share and What Not to Share
Diversity statements can be tricky in that they can leave writers feeling like they need to use aspects of their identity set apart from their whole selves in application documents—and this discomfort can be worsened if writers feel that the topic asks them to relate harmful or traumatic experiences as part of an application.
What you choose to disclose and discuss is completely up to you, and you should not feel obligated to disclose or rely on things that you would prefer not to discuss in applications. When the process feels uncomfortable, it might be helpful to focus outside the self, instead exploring how your professional approach or focus is informed by values of diversity.
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