Tokenism

noun

/ˈtəʊ.kən.ɪz.əm/

The practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to include members of minority or marginalised groups in order to give the appearance of equity and inclusion without addressing structural inequalities or providing substantive power

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Critics argue that appointing a single woman to a corporate board, without changing the patriarchal decision-making culture, amounts to tokenism rather than genuine gender mainstreaming.

Synonyms

symbolic inclusionwindow dressingsuperficial representationperformative diversity

Antonyms

substantive representationmeaningful inclusionstructural reformgenuine empowerment

🌱 Word Family

tokenism (n), tokenistic (adj), token (n/adj), token representation (n phrase)

🔡 Root

Old English tacen = sign/symbol + -ism = practice/doctrine suffix; token evolved from 'sign' to 'gesture' in Modern English

📜 Etymology

The term emerged in the American civil rights discourse of the 1960s to critique superficial racial inclusion; entered Indian social justice vocabulary in the 1970s-1980s in critiques of symbolic Dalit/women representation without real empowerment

🧠 Memory Hook

TOKEN + -ISM: giving someone a TOKEN (a coin-sized gesture) instead of real change — just enough to look inclusive without being inclusive

⚖️ Social Justice 📖 Seen in: Dalit Rights & SC/ST Atrocities Act — ...

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