What our research has found is that the barriers that hold women back are many of the same barriers that hold visible minorities and people from LGBTQ communities back .
One of the first things that needs to be done, whether it's government, not-for-profits, or business, is to acknowledge that there is unconscious bias out there, that we need to be aware of it, and we need to figure out how to deal with it. We are not going to eradicate it, but we need to be trained on how to be more inclusive leaders. That kind of awareness and training needs to be put in place.
Further, I would say that, within any organization, whether it's public sector or private, we need to ensure that there is, as I mentioned earlier, an unconscious bias spotter or that kind of a role when hiring decisions are being made and promotion decisions are being made so there isn't this bias that creeps into people's opportunities to excel. I think that applies as much to LGBTQ communities as to anyone else.
I also think organizations—again, public sector or private—can leverage very strongly their own employee bases. Employee resource groups like LGBTQ communities that form pride groups end up being a fantastic window for the organization to that community of potential buyers, and they also can shed light to the organization on how these people want to feel included. Greater embracing of employee resources groups, I think, is a very positive step.