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It is Women’s History Month. As quiet as it is kept, much of what we celebrate during Women’s History Month in the U.S. (like the fact that women are expected to control $30 trillion in the years ahead, up from $7.3 trillion) has to do with how diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have expanded our rights as women.
For example, what’s the first full generation of women (in other words, everyone in the generation) to be born with the legal right to not need a male co-signer to own a home with a mortgage and open a realty firm (or another business) with a line of credit?
Gen. Z women (those born between 1997 and 2012) were the first full generation of women to be born with the U.S. legal right to both personal credit (legalized in 1974 via the Equal Credit Opportunity Act) and business credit (legalized in 1988 via the Women’s Business Ownership Act) without a male co-signor.
“Geriatric Millennials,” a.k.a. the elders of the Millennial generation born in the early 1980s, incredibly did not have the right to business credit without a male co-signer at birth. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 and the Women’s Business Ownership Act of 1988 — both fair lending protections — are just two instances of how far U.S. laws have expanded to be more diverse, inclusive and equitable in most of our lifetimes.
In other words:
“DEI isn’t a problem to solve; instead, it solves problems.” — Janet M. Stovall
Frankly, the expansion of fair housing protections (at the local, state or federal) for everyone (women or not) to the following 19 categories — DEI before we called it DEI — in just our lifetimes is remarkable considering where the U.S. was when many of us were born.
- Race
- Color
- Religion
- National origin
- Sex (federal and local)
- Familial status (federal and local)
- Disability (this has evolved to “a person that uses an assistive device”) (federal and local)
- Age
- Ancestry
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity
- Marital status
- Military status
- Domestic violence victims
- Source of income
- Genetic information
- Pregnancy
- HIV/AIDS
- Fair chance/reentry/criminal record history
Despite these impressive advances, if you are on social media, some viral posts may make it seem like DEI will DIE in the coming weeks.
Despite a clever attempt to reorder the DEI acronym, a recent survey tells a different tale: While 5 percent of business leaders surveyed have eliminated 2025 DEI funding, 95 percent plan to continue DEI funding and subsequent initiatives. Of that 95 percent, 65 percent plan to leave their DEI budgets as is, and 22 percent plan to double down and increase their DEI budgets.
In the face of recent political trends and backlash, such numbers are encouraging and speak to the value that diversity, equity and inclusion have brought during most of our lifetimes. According to McKinsey’s multi-year study of workplace diversity:
- The business case for gender diversity on executive teams has more than doubled over the past decade, moving from a 15 percent likelihood of outperformance to a 39 percent likelihood.
- Companies with representation of women exceeding 30 percent are significantly more likely to financially outperform those with 30 percent or fewer. Similarly, companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity show an average 27 percent financial advantage over others.
- Companies with greater diversity in both gender and ethnicity on their boards of directors are more likely to outperform financially. Companies in the top quartile for board-gender diversity are 27 percent more likely to outperform financially than those in the bottom quartile. Companies in the top quartile for ethnically diverse boards are 13 percent more likely to outperform than those in the bottom quartile.
- There is a strong correlation between diversity in influential company leadership roles and multiple indicators of holistic impact across workforce, community and environmental components.
I’ll repeat for the people in the back: “DEI isn’t a problem to solve; instead, it solves problems.” – Janet M. Stovall
How do we continue to welcome and retain in this political climate?
As great as the above statistics are, they are rather nebulous, describing some faceless, nameless businesses that probably vaguely, if at all, resemble the work that we do.
The companies (like Apple, Patagonia, Costco, etc.) that have been outspoken so far on maintaining and expanding DEI initiatives are also the companies that have quickly been able to point to specific internal data that contributes directly to their bottom lines.
Likewise, if you are committed to ensuring that your real estate firm, association or other organization continues to welcome AND retain professionals from all walks of life (how I define diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives), then we must do a better job of documenting the age-old question, “What’s in it for me?”
For sales or membership organizations (like real estate firms and associations), growth is the key for organizational survival.
Quantifying ‘What’s in it for me?’
Whether you host homebuyer workshops, mortgage/credit counseling classes, new agent orientations or fair housing training courses, there is a simple way to start collecting your own data in order to make more informed decisions, address underrepresentation and demonstrate your commitment to equal opportunity in housing and within our profession.
- What’s the last event your organization had?
- Did it track robust demographic data to help identify who is well-represented versus underrepresented?
- Did it capture retention sentiments and personal stories to identify both room for improvement and milestones accomplished?
With an array of online forms that automatically tabulate data, it is fairly simple yet impactful to adhere to a pre-event (ideally electronic) checklist and offer a post-event (ideally electronic) survey. By intentionally monitoring and capturing a wide range of demographic information from each event you host, you can better assess whether the events you host are truly accessible, welcoming and retention-supporting to all members of your surrounding community.
Furthermore, the Ivy Planning Group, which recently hosted Attorney Olivia Sedwick, recommends that the more data you collect, measure and retain to identify gaps, the more likely there is legal standing for you to address those gaps in representation (so you don’t “catch a case”).
One of my mottos is “collaboration over competition,” so below are the templates I have proposed in the various organizations with which I work and volunteer in order to give you a starting point that your group may modify as you see fit.
Pre-event: Diversity, equity and inclusion checklist suggestions:
- Diversity of event planning committee (include a checklist of the demographics below)
- Diversity of speakers and presenters (include a checklist of the demographics below)
- Accessibility features implemented (e.g., ramps, closed captions in webinars, etc.)
- Family-friendly amenities provided (e.g., flexible scheduling to not interfere with school nights, etc.)
- Event registration forms include space for participants’s accommodation requests
- The number of accommodations requested and fulfilled (or not and why)
- Language diversity in event materials and presentations
- Representation in marketing materials and event imagery
- Social media engagement with diversity and inclusion-related event content
- Diversity of vendors and suppliers
- Post-event electronic survey to show attendee demographic breakdown (e.g. percentage of attendees from different geographic locations, etc.), responses on inclusivity and belonging, and participant satisfaction (see suggestions below and review who is not present/represented)
- Bonus: Incorporation of diversity and inclusion topics in event programming
Post-event: Diversity, equity and inclusion survey suggestions:
Demographic data: Multiple choice (capture suggested demographics; may be anonymous). Feel free to shorten as this includes various fair housing protected classes that are tracked in some states/locales):
- Age
- Gender identity
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Sexual orientation
- Accessibility needs status
- Socio-economic background/income range
- Education level
- Geographic location
- Language preferences
- Religion or belief system
- Caregiving responsibilities
- Neurodiversity
- Professional status: Realtor or not (community member, mortgage lender, etc.)
- Immigration status
- Marital status
- Parental status
- Health status (chronic condition, etc.)
- Criminal record status
- Military status
- Domestic violence victim status
- Source of income
Retention sentiments (compare this with retention rates)
On a Likert scale of 1 to 5, survey:
- Were your unique perspectives and lived experiences valued during interactions at the event?
- How comfortable were you discussing delicate topics openly during the event related to one or more aspects of your previously stated demographics?
- How much did you feel you belonged at this event?
- Were there clear opportunities for networking and connecting across diverse groups at the event?
- Did you feel represented in the marketing materials and imagery used for this event?
- Did the event provide adequate accessibility accommodations for your needs?
- Did the speakers/presenters reflect diverse identities and perspectives?
- Did attending this event increase your awareness or understanding of diversity and inclusion topics?
- Do you feel more equipped to address diversity and inclusion issues in your work/community?
- Would you recommend future events by our organization based on your experience of diversity and inclusivity today?
Open-ended survey questions (allowing personal stories to humanize the feedback):
- What are some key takeaways from the event that you will apply in your daily work/life?
- What resources or further training would be helpful to support your inclusion and belonging at our organization?
- Any additional feedback or suggestions on how we can enhance diversity and inclusivity at future events? Feel free to explain any answers from your previous ratings.
As always, to incentivize participants to complete post-event surveys, be sure to tie it to something of value, such as completing the survey for continuing education credits, door prizes, access to the event recording, a discount on the next event, etc.
Let’s make it a habit to standardize our planning (with a simple DEI checklist) and share measurable outcomes along with personal feedback and stories from each event as part of our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts with a simple post-event survey. The likely results: The data will more easily cut through misinformation and political apathy to demonstrate the tangible and lawful benefits of DEI efforts to welcome and retain professionals and clients from all walks of life.
Lee Davenport is a licensed real estate broker, trainer and coach. Follow her on YouTube, or visit her website.
