Workforce Diversity

commentary

In National Security, Autistic Employees Are in the Closet. Here's Why

Archaic U.S. military and federal policies, combined with decades-old understandings about autism spectrum disorder, create an environment where people hide their autism and other cognitive diagnoses. Our national security challenges are too difficult and too important to leave to the portion of the population who use their brains in only “typical” ways.

Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc

commentary

Limiting Access to Reproductive Health Care May Undermine National Security

What signal does revoking policies related to improved access to reproductive health care send to young women who are considering the military as a possible path for them? Given an already concerning recruiting environment, can we really afford to further alienate an entire gender when it comes to protecting our national security?

Kyleanne M. Hunter @KyleanneHunter, Sarah O. Meadows @SarahOMeadows

commentary

An Autistic Soldier Wants You to Read This

Despite the recruitment challenges it is currently facing, the Army continues to make personnel decisions based on last century's understanding of neurodivergent diagnoses. The loosening of stigma associated with these diagnoses could improve recruitment, and the Army might reap the benefits of neurodiversity.

Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc

blog

Violence in Schools, Neurodiversity and National Security, Drug Cartels: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on preventing school violence, dealing with drug cartels, the benefits of a neurodivergent national security workforce, and more.

q&a

Amplifying Teachers' Voices: Q&A with Ashley Woo

Ashley Woo, an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, aims to bring teachers' perspectives into policymaking. In this interview, she discusses her research on teachers' responses to state restrictions on how they can address topics related to race and gender in the classroom.

commentary

How Teachers Can Shield Students from Harm as Debates Rage over Race and Gender

By conveying to girls and students of color that they are individually capable of overcoming adversity—and that who they are matters—educators might soften the blow of public laws and policies that send the opposite message.

Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman

commentary

A Way Forward for Police Recruiting

Police recruiting is in a prolonged crisis. Without sufficient numbers of quality recruits, no amount of planning, strategies, or programs will succeed. It is critical to draw from a pool of interested persons who are diverse, technologically adept, and who have a spirit of community service.

Richard H. Donohue, Bob Harrison

q&a

Army Lessons and Organizational Change: Q&A with Dwayne Butler

Before coming to RAND, Dwayne Butler served in the U.S. Army for 20 years. In this interview, he discusses how his military career prepared him for the research he is doing now on organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion.

blog

Putin's Latest Threats, U.S. Policy in the Middle East, Disaster Recovery: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Russia's troop mobilization and the ongoing war in Ukraine, U.S. policy in the Middle East, building a more diverse teacher workforce, and more.

commentary

Removing Barriers to Diversity and Inclusion in the Military

Efforts to improve representation and remove barriers for personnel with protected characteristics are seen as essential steps for modern militaries, but have not gone without controversy. The UK Armed Forces could take a more-strategic approach to leveraging diversity to elevate it as a strategic enabler of military fighting power in the contemporary threat environment.

Linda Slapakova

blog

Diversity in the Military, Telemedicine Abortion, China and Taiwan: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the benefits of increasing and maintaining diversity in the armed forces, the challenges of telemedicine abortion, whether Indo-Pacific countries are backing China or Taiwan, and more.

commentary

In Search of an Equity Lens: A Physician's Journey

Patient health outcomes, communication with providers, and overall patient satisfaction improve when patients and providers share a similar background. Further, diverse work environments may positively impact health care provider job satisfaction. Increasing diversity in health care work settings is a first important step that could help to increase equity and inclusion in these environments.

Mahshid Abir

commentary

Seven Ways to Build a Truly Equitable DEI Strategy

Despite growth in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles worldwide, not much has changed with the power structure in DEI spaces, which still center on the C-suite and tend to be populated with groups that are less knowledgeable on research in DEI. Here are seven strategies for building a more-equitable DEI program.

Rhianna C. Rogers

blog

Insights on Russia's War in Ukraine, Global Citizenship, Vaccination Equity: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Russia's war on Ukraine, medication treatment for patients with opioid use disorder, promoting global citizenship in America, and more.

commentary

A Promising Era for Women of Color in U.S. Elections, but Gains in Broader Workplace Leadership Remain Elusive

Women of color remain significantly underrepresented in workplace leadership and along the promotion pipeline in comparison to white women, as well as to black and white men. How much more work needs to be done to achieve the combination of race and gender equity in leadership?

Zara Fatima Abdurahaman