Resisting the anti-DEI backlash: non-discrimination and social sustainability in Danish organizations

Purpose The article responds to a critical gap in the Nordic context, in which diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives lack knowledge about discrimination that aligns with international human rights frameworks. It argues that understanding DEI as integral to the European framework for corporate accountability and sustainability, and contingent on human rights and the sustainable development goals (SDGs), provides strategic and moral imperatives as well as a foundation for standing ground against international pressures. Design/methodology/approach The article uses a vignette method and a tripartite model of discrimination to illustrate and elaborate essential concepts for non-discrimination and DEI work in the Nordics, situating them within international sustainability requirements. Findings The article argues that strengthening a collective, shared conceptual and practical framework for non-discrimination that is aligned with European social sustainability requirements can underscore Europe's resistance to international pressures to reduce equity and social justice. Research limitations/implications The article speaks to and underscores the connection between DEI, non-discrimination, and the European sustainability framework. Practical implications The article contributes to definitional and conceptual development and understandings of discrimination in the Nordics that can have implications for how DEI initiatives can be defined and navigated in practice. Social implications The article contributes to strengthening understandings of non-discrimination by offering both definitional clarity and conceptual development. Because non-discrimination is often poorly understood in many Nordic contexts – and frequently assumed to be a non-issue despite the significant challenges the region currently faces – the article seeks to advance a more nuanced and complex framework for recognizing and addressing discrimination which is relevant for both everyday and organizational contexts. Originality/value This article is my own original work. All theoretical, conceptual, and definitional developments – including the tripartite model of discrimination used in the analysis – are developed by me over the course of my research. The empirical material I draw on is likewise my own.