What happens when representation starts to cost you a steady income? What about when receiving an extra job is no longer a compliment to your career skills but a strategy to get a company noticed?
This issue is known as the minority tax.
The minority tax occurs when an individual or group from a certain minority is tasked with involvement in recruiting, marketing or diversity efforts. Though it may seem like appointing minority individuals to these positions is a step in the right direction, the truth is, in some cases, they are being chosen less for their occupational skills and more for the purpose of filling a diversity gap. A similar word used to describe the practice of seeking out a certain person in order to appear fair or avoid criticism is tokenism. We often use this word on the Oracle in reference to stories or sourcing, as we are constantly attempting to be fair, transparent and accurate, rather than keeping up appearances.
These individuals are being assigned uncompensated and undervalued diversity, equity and inclusion work, often in addition to their existing roles. Outcomes may include disproportionate responsibility, limited career advancement, slower income and inefficient work. The minority tax affects a variety of people, ranging from gender minorities to racial and ethnic minorities. The minority tax commonly manifests itself in the medical field, but it is also relevant to professional situations beyond medicine.
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine collected stories from physicians from minority communities. One doctor from the article described being the only Latina in her family medicine residency program. When the local community around her hospital heard they had access to a Spanish-speaking doctor, her schedule began to fill up. She said she was often the only available clinician able to explain a diagnosis or treatment to Spanish-speaking patients, serving as the “unofficial historical translator” and adding to her already busy schedule.
There also lies an alternative layer to this issue. Referred to as the gratitude tax, this offshoot of the minority tax is the internal burden that minorities feel when completing additional, often DEI-related tasks. This psychological weight makes them feel obligated to continue the extra work for diversity committees because they are indebted to their employers for hiring them in the first place. Carrying around something resembling guilt, these individuals are scrambling to get their extra tasks done while simultaneously trying to meet the expectations of society and their employers.
Institutions wanting to diversify their employees was not always the top priority. In fact, the word “diverse” was rarely used to describe humans before the 1960s, and most commonly referred to diversifying other aspects of an institution, such as its menu or investment options. Diversification of staff began as a response to newly recognized societal expectations following the various social movements in the mid 20th century, such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Second Wave of Feminism.
After a couple more decades, companies began to see diversification as a means of getting ahead of their competitors because it showcased them as more inclusive and unique. Now, in the 21st century, diversification, while inherently essential, has sometimes been considered “trendy.” Endorsing social movements of the past 20 years, including Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ movements, has become seemingly important, fueling a race to the finish line for the most DEI brownie points.
Diversification can be a useful tool when looking to expand the perspectives of the staff and create a more well-rounded institution. However, it becomes problematic when minority individuals are being used as pawns in a game of profitability and prominence.
On The Oracle, we take clear steps to avoid tokenism. We use a source-tracking document to aim for diverse coverage, and all editors must pledge to uphold the values of diversity, equity and inclusion to the best of their ability. For example, the photo editor is tasked with ensuring that reporters’ photos accurately reflect the story’s purpose and regularly reviewing the publication’s photography to ensure we remain inclusive. As a publication, we are constantly working toward growth. We would be amiss for not mentioning that we are at fault here, too. The fact that we have not met all of our DEI goals — such as creating a yearly diversity audit — is part of what makes this editorial so vital. Work with DEI is an ongoing journey, and one we must continue to approach with openness and a strong sense of our journalistic values, while also being accountable for our shortcomings.
The bottom line: Promoting diversity should never be at the expense of the well-being and income of minoritized individuals. Our economy, medical fields, committees and institutions cannot function properly without the input of every human being. We need to stop feeding into institutionalized discrimination of minorities and start finding a way to put the people before the profit.
