Women's History Month; Pending Removal Due to DEI...

The Unraveling of Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace and Military—and the Misguided War on DEI

As Women’s History Month marches on, a strange dissonance fills the air. This month, once a celebration of women’s contributions and hard-fought progress, now serves as a stark reminder that those advances are anything but secure. While the nation is busy sharing inspirational quotes about breaking glass ceilings, the federal government and military are quietly pulling the rugs out from under the very women we claim to honor.

In January of this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing. The language was familiar to anyone who’s followed his rhetoric: DEI programs were labeled “discriminatory” and “illegal.” The order took immediate aim at Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across every federal agency and extended its reach to government contractors. The result? A dismantling of programs intended to provide fair access and opportunity to underrepresented groups—especially women—and the erasure of hard-won recognition for their contributions to history.

How Far We’ve Come—And How Quickly It’s Being Undone

It wasn’t that long ago that women were barred from the halls of power, from boardrooms, and from service academies. World War II pulled millions of women into the workforce, but when the war ended, they were expected to return home quietly. It took until 1976 for women to be allowed into U.S. military service academies. And as recently as 2023, women made up nearly 47% of the U.S. workforce, holding 32% of senior management positions. These numbers still lag behind parity, but they reflect generations of persistent effort.

And now? In a matter of months, programs that helped women break barriers are being stripped away. The military’s cultural observances of Women’s History Month have been canceled. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth explained that such celebrations “compromise unit cohesion,” though St. Patrick’s Day festivities continue unabated on bases nationwide—presumably because Irish identity poses no threat to morale. The inconsistency is impossible to ignore.

The Erasure of Women’s History in Real Time

This rollback is more than symbolic. The Army and Navy recently removed entire web pages highlighting women’s military service. Among them were tributes to women who broke gender barriers in combat roles and stories of female service members whose bravery altered the course of history. The Department of Defense flagged an estimated 26,000 images for potential removal from its archives—many of them documenting women’s historic achievements in uniform. These aren’t ancient relics gathering dust in some obscure archive. These were active, public records meant to inspire and educate future generations.

When questioned, the Department of Defense claimed these removals were temporary “compliance” measures. Yet, the optics couldn’t be clearer. It’s March. It’s Women’s History Month. And the military is scrubbing women from the narrative.

The Cost of Inclusion—and the Cost of Erasing It

One of the loudest talking points in the campaign against DEI is cost. Proponents of the rollback argue that DEI initiatives waste taxpayer dollars. The facts suggest otherwise. The total federal spending on DEI initiatives was about $60 million annually. At the Department of Defense, the figure is even smaller—less than 0.006% of its $800 billion budget.

For perspective, the U.S. military spends more on marching bands (roughly $400 million annually) than it ever did on DEI initiatives. Yes, we’re spending more on marching music than we ever did on ensuring women—and others—have equitable access to opportunity. If waste were truly the concern, there are bigger fish to fry. Instead, DEI programs have become convenient scapegoats in a culture war over who belongs where.

What DEI Programs Actually Do

Contrary to the rhetoric, DEI programs do not impose quotas. Federal law prohibits hiring decisions based solely on race, gender, or ethnicity. What DEI does is broaden talent pools, reduce biases in hiring and promotion, and create environments where historically marginalized employees can thrive.

There is no credible evidence that DEI programs lead to unqualified people getting jobs over more qualified candidates. Harvard Business Review and McKinsey’s studies on the matter show that inclusive workplaces are more innovative and profitable. The data overwhelmingly supports the idea that diverse teams outperform homogenous ones. Despite this, DEI is increasingly framed as a threat to meritocracy rather than a tool to ensure it.

Women Stand to Lose the Most

As DEI programs vanish, so do the mentorship and leadership pipelines that helped women ascend into roles of influence. Without these programs, organizations lose structured efforts to close gender gaps in pay, leadership, and representation. And as the visibility of women’s contributions fades—whether on military websites or in corporate leadership—the very notion of equal opportunity becomes harder to defend.

This isn’t about hurt feelings. It’s about institutional memory. The cancellation of Women’s History Month observances, the deletion of historical records, and the silencing of inclusive policies are signals. Signals that women’s history—and by extension, women’s futures—are negotiable.

The Misguided War on DEI

The backlash against DEI is often framed as a righteous defense of fairness. It isn’t. DEI programs exist because fairness wasn’t always the default. They are designed to ensure that access to opportunity isn’t determined by someone’s gender, race, or zip code. A 2020 report by McKinsey & Company showed that companies in the top quartile for ethnic and gender diversity on executive teams were more likely to have above-average profitability. DEI does not require employers to hire unqualified candidates. Anti-discrimination laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibit employment decisions based solely on race, gender, or ethnicity.

A Pew Research Center study (2023) found that despite corporate DEI initiatives, the actual hiring rates for historically marginalized groups remain below population parity, indicating no evidence of overcorrection. The anger directed at DEI reflects a deeper discomfort with the idea that systems of power might be made more equitable. Dismantling DEI programs under the guise of protecting meritocracy ignores the real, measurable benefits these initiatives bring to workplaces, the military, and society as a whole.

Conclusion: Dismantling Women’s History—And the Future

This month was supposed to be about celebrating women’s achievements. Instead, it’s about mourning their erasure. Progress is not a straight line, nor is it guaranteed. Without vigilance, it can and will be undone.

As DEI initiatives are rolled back and historical recognition stripped away, it’s not only women who lose—but the country as a whole. We risk becoming a nation that forgets its own history and sacrifices its future to the whims of political expediency.