The Gender Equity Toolkit is easy to use whether you’re in the the boardroom or the classroom, to strengthen empathy and equity to help re-program the implicit biases we all have buried deep within our brains.

Leyla Acaroglu partnered with the Women's Lead Initiative at AIGA to explore some of the structural forces that are preventing women from achieving equitable access to leadership positions within the design sector. Leyla discovered through interviews, workshops, and literature analysis that one of the biggest issues is that the preformed framework of what leadership should look like is currently inherently masculine. This creates a double bind: women find they must adopt male leadership traits to get into a leadership position, but once there, they are penalized for not fulfilling the gendered expectations of the typically female stereotypes of sensitivity and care.

In order to reach equality, we need to find ways of enhancing equity––equal access to the resources we need to flourish, when we need them. And in order for equity to be implemented in our workplaces, we need to foster empathy all around. Through this toolkit of creative interventions, you will explore dynamic ways of enhancing leadership, busting cognitive biases, building empathy, and harnessing the power of organic mentorship.