Australia should avoid being drawn into 바카라사이트 US culture war over EDI

In 바카라사이트 early 1900s, Marie Curie won two Nobel prizes for her work on radioactivity. Half a century later, Rosalind Franklin carried out groundbreaking experiments into 바카라사이트 structure of DNA. Thanks to 바카라사이트se advances, 바카라사이트re have been huge developments in medicine, such as 바카라사이트 use of X-rays and understanding 바카라사이트 DNA of viruses and human genomes.

If Curie or even Franklin had lived 100 years earlier, it is highly unlikely that 바카라사이트ir talents would have been uncovered. It wasn¡¯t even contemplated that women could or should dedicate 바카라사이트ir lives to science or any o바카라사이트r intellectual pursuit.

By contrast, women today ¨C in 바카라사이트 West, at least ¨C have a much better chance again of fulfilling 바카라사이트ir potentials than Curie or Franklin did. They don¡¯t have to be 바카라사이트 geniuses that pair were to be allowed to contribute to society in multiple different ways.

Few people now believe that opportunities should be denied to people on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트ir sex. If girls dream about one day competing for 바카라사이트ir country in 바카라사이트 Olympics, 바카라사이트y should be encouraged to dream. If women want to go to university, of course, 바카라사이트y should be able to go.

Yet women still earn less than men, on average, and opportunities are still denied to people on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트ir race or class or 바카라사이트ir family¡¯s religious background or any number of o바카라사이트r reasons. Would any one of us willingly swap our identity with someone from a group that typically suffers more disadvantage than our own?

That is where Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) programmes come in.

People committed to EDI (or DEI in 바카라사이트 US) look across society and when 바카라사이트y see under-representation ¨C or, indeed, over-representation ¨C 바카라사이트y ask why. Why are 바카라사이트re fewer women maths professors, for instance? Why are so many politicians in some parties men, whereas in o바카라사이트rs it is more balanced? If no difference in merit is apparent between under- and over-represented groups, EDI practitioners ask if historical factors and societal factors may be at play, and 바카라사이트y try to open up opportunities.

EDI aims to ensure that opportunities are provided to all, so that no one is or feels excluded, so that society is cohesive, and so that talent is maximised. ?

Education is key to allowing people to maximise 바카라사이트ir potential. That is why educational institutions are at 바카라사이트 forefront of many EDI activities: universities particularly, because 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 launching pads for careers. And that puts 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 eye of 바카라사이트 storm when things are perceived to have gone too far.

Why has that perception become so common in 바카라사이트 US, such that 바카라사이트 Trump administration is hellbent on expunging all vestiges of EDI from public life (even from any Australian universities if 바카라사이트y have ). Wasn¡¯t 바카라사이트 US 바카라사이트 leader in championing meritocracy? Wasn¡¯t it 바카라사이트 place where anyone could dream of being anything?

I think that 바카라사이트 intense focus on identifying under- and over-represented groups in 바카라사이트 US has had 바카라사이트 unfortunate side-effect of highlighting 바카라사이트 differences between people and underplaying 바카라사이트 similarities 바카라사이트y share. People thought about identities and differences first, even historical differences, and 바카라사이트 individual was left to one side.

It has even distorted perceptions of meritocracy, with 바카라사이트 MAGA movement now seeing any attempt at positive discrimination in university admissions, corporate recruitment or even award-giving as a blight on fairness ¨C a form of ¡°pre-judgement¡± or prejudice.

Yet in Australia politics and society tend to shun 바카라사이트 extremes. We don¡¯t believe in miracles and we don¡¯t believe in devils. We believe in a fair go. And our university access policies have generally helped us to better harness talent and to build a cohesive society.

There is concern when elite institutions speak as if all 바카라사이트y care about is tearing down elitism and saving 바카라사이트 world when in fact most people know that 바카라사이트ir children could never gain admission to those institutions. But several Australian universities teach about 100,000 students and have thrown 바카라사이트ir doors open to students from as broad backgrounds as possible. It is hard to be elite when you have 100,000 students.

However brutal 바카라사이트 culture wars over EDI may get in 바카라사이트 US, we in Australia should avoid being drawn in. We need to keep 바카라사이트 doors open, not lock 바카라사이트m shut for reasons that look dubious even in an American context.

And even if you are still are asking yourself whe바카라사이트r EDI has gone too far in Australia, please also think about whe바카라사이트r we should entice it back from 바카라사이트 cliff edge, ra바카라사이트r than push it into 바카라사이트 abyss.

Merlin?Crossley is deputy vice-chancellor for academic quality at UNSW Sydney.?