McDonald’s is walking back some of its diversity and inclusion initiatives.
It comes after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2023 banned affirmative action in university admissions.
The decision has been cited by other U.S. companies that have stripped back their diversity programs and policies.
McDonald’s said in a statement that a “shifting legal landscape” may impact the company.
McDonald’s
On Monday, McDonald’s emailed its employees and suppliers globally, detailing the fast food giant’s “commitment to inclusion”.
The company said it’s no longer going to work towards specific targets of diverse representation in its U.S. leadership team.
McDonald’s had previously set a goal to have 35% of U.S. leadership roles held by people from “under-represented groups” by the end of this year. The company said this is currently at “around 30%”.
McDonald’s also said it would be “retiring” a previous commitment to ‘diversity, equality, and inclusion’ in the supply chain.
Instead, the company said it planned to have “a more integrated discussion with suppliers about inclusion as it relates to business performance”.
McDonald’s also said it would stop “external surveys” but did not provide further details.
Legal landscape
In June 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled universities could no longer consider racial and ethnic diversity when selecting incoming students.
This practice, called ‘affirmative action’, was aimed at correcting historic prejudice.
It was initially implemented in the U.S. following a previous Supreme Court decision in the 1970s.
In 2014, an organisation called ‘Students for Fair Admissions’ alleged Harvard’s affirmative action practices negatively discriminated against white and Asian American students.
In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in the students’ favour, effectively banning affirmative action.
Several universities have since cited a decrease in students from diverse cultural backgrounds.
In response to the court’s decision, a number of companies have rolled back their diversity and inclusion initiatives.
