Dr. Shaista Khilji, professor of Human and Organizational Learning, presented her research at an event during GW King Week. Following a presentation of her research findings, Dr. Khliji and Zoe King, M.A. ’19, a senior recruitment partner in the division of Human Resource Management and Development, led a roundtable discussion, where event attendees shared how cultural, political and class structures shaped their experiences or observations of inequality. The event was hosted in partnership with the Nashman Center of Civic Engagement and Public Service and Faculty Senate’s University and Urban Affairs Committee. This event was highlighted in the GW Today article, "Women of Color: Lived Experiences with Inequality."
Per the article, Dr. Khilji spoke about the inequality that women of color face in the workplace at a discussion that previewed her most recent research, where, as part of a qualitative study, she spoke with participants of different races, genders and ages about their personal and workplace experiences with inequality to uncover patterns of exclusion and/or inclusion.
“If we really want to address inequality, we must first start focusing on humanity because this is what really matters at the end of the day,” she said. “People want to be treated with respect, people want to be treated with fairness, and people want to be heard and listened to. If we can make that tiny little switch in our daily interactions with others, I think we will probably start addressing some of the challenges that make inequality so very difficult to talk about and address.”
In addition, Dr. Khilji wrote a blog post based on the talk entitled, "Understanding Inequality — Beyond the Numbers & As a Human."