Your DEI Policy Does Not Stop at the Training Room Door

Every year, I see more corporates investing in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. DEI committees are formed. Policies are drafted. Town halls are conducted. And rightly so. These efforts matter.

But here is something that often goes unnoticed. The very same companies that have robust DEI policies sometimes send out vendor requirement emails that read something like this: “We are looking for a female self-defense instructor for our women employees.”

On the surface, this looks thoughtful. It looks like the company cares about the comfort of its women employees. And I have no doubt that the intention behind it is genuine.

But let us take a step back and look at this through the lens of your own DEI policy. Because if your policy says you do not discriminate based on gender in hiring, that principle should extend to how you engage trainers, consultants, and service providers as well. Otherwise, the policy has a blind spot. And blind spots, however well-intentioned, can become liabilities.

What the Law Says About Gender-Based Trainer Requirements

This is not about creating fear. It is about creating awareness. Let us look at the legal landscape together, because informed decisions are always better decisions.

The Indian Constitution

• Article 14 guarantees equality before law for every person.
• Article 15(1) prohibits discrimination on grounds of sex. While originally directed at state action, Indian courts have extended its spirit to private entities, especially in employment and service engagement.
• Article 16(1) and 16(2) guarantee equality of opportunity in employment and prohibit discrimination on the ground of sex.

Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 (Section 5)

This Act prohibits discrimination in recruitment for the same work or work of a similar nature. The principle is straightforward: competence determines suitability, not gender.

Code on Wages, 2019 (Section 3)

The Code reinforces the prohibition of gender-based discrimination. While it specifically addresses wages, its philosophy extends to conditions of engagement and procurement.

The POSH Act, 2013

Here is something many HR teams overlook. The POSH Act mandates that employers organise awareness and training programs for workplace safety. However, the Act does not specify that such training must be delivered by a person of any particular gender. The emphasis is on quality, relevance, and effectiveness of the program. Not on the gender of the facilitator.

In fact, the POSH Act is fundamentally about eliminating gender-based bias and stereotyping. Requiring a female-only trainer could, ironically, reinforce the very stereotypes the Act seeks to dismantle.

BFOQ: Bona Fide Occupational Qualification

In employment law, there is a recognised concept called Bona Fide Occupational Qualification, or BFOQ. This allows gender to be specified as a requirement only when it is genuinely essential to the nature of the work. For example, a female attendant for a women’s changing room, or an actor required for a gender-specific role.

Self-defense instruction does not fall into this category. Teaching crime awareness, situational response, and personal safety requires knowledge, skill, and experience. None of these are determined by gender.

Corporate Governance and SEBI Guidelines

Under the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI’s corporate governance guidelines, companies are expected to uphold fairness, transparency, and non-discrimination. Many companies also have internal procurement policies that mirror these principles. Specifying the gender of a service provider, when the service has no inherent gender requirement, could be inconsistent with these standards.

International Standards

• ILO Convention No. 111, ratified by India, prohibits any distinction or exclusion based on sex that impairs equality of opportunity.
• CEDAW, also ratified by India, aims to eliminate gender stereotyping. Insisting on a female instructor because “women feel more comfortable with women” is itself a form of stereotyping.
• UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 calls for gender equality and the empowerment of all women. Empowerment is about building strength, not reinforcing comfort zones.

A Practical Checklist: What to Actually Look For

So if gender is not the right filter, what is? Here is a practical checklist that aligns with both good training outcomes and good governance.

1. Does the instructor specialise in crime psychology? Real self-defense is not just about physical techniques. It is about understanding how criminals think, how they select targets, and how they exploit fear and hesitation.
2. Does the program cover pre-crime, during-crime, and post-crime responses? Most martial arts programs focus only on the physical confrontation. But the majority of personal safety happens before and after the physical moment.
3. Does the instructor address psychological barriers? Freeze responses, social conditioning, the fear of being rude, the reluctance to cause a scene. These are the real obstacles women face in crisis situations, and they require specialised expertise to address.
4. Is the training scenario-based and rooted in real-world crime data? Kicking pads and punching bags may look impressive in photos, but they have very little to do with how real attacks happen.
5. Does the instructor have verifiable credentials and a track record? Client testimonials, years of experience, documented outcomes. These matter far more than the instructor’s gender.
6. Does the program align with your POSH compliance requirements? A good program should complement your existing workplace safety framework, not exist in isolation from it.

“The right question is never ‘Is your instructor male or female?’ The right question is ‘Can your instructor prepare our employees to handle real danger?’ That is the question that leads to real safety.”

– Specialist Franklin Joseph

When Comfort Becomes a Disadvantage

Let me share a perspective that comes from decades of working in personal safety and crime psychology.

The idea behind asking for a female instructor is often rooted in the belief that women employees will feel more comfortable. And yes, comfort matters. No one learns well in an environment where they feel unsafe or disrespected.

But there is a difference between creating a respectful, professional learning environment and creating an environment that avoids all discomfort. Because here is the difficult truth: crime is uncomfortable. Violence is uncomfortable. Confrontation is uncomfortable.

If a woman cannot even engage with a male instructor in a controlled, professional, safe classroom setting, how is she expected to respond to a violent male attacker on a dark street? Or to a domestic abuser she has to face every single day in her own home?

The purpose of self-defense training is not to keep women in their comfort zones. It is to expand those zones. It is to help women build the capacity to function effectively even when they are uncomfortable, even when they are scared, even when the situation is unfamiliar and threatening.

“Empowering women means helping them discover their strength, not designing the world around their fears. When we over-prioritise comfort, we accidentally reinforce the idea that women are fragile. And that is the opposite of empowerment.”

– Specialist Franklin Joseph

Bringing It All Together

Hiring a self-defense expert for your team is a wonderful investment. It shows that your organisation genuinely cares about the safety and well-being of your employees. That intention deserves respect.

But the execution matters as much as the intention. And the execution should be consistent with the values your company already champions: fairness, equality, non-discrimination, and merit-based decision-making.

Choose your trainer based on what they know, what they have done, and what they can deliver. Not based on their gender. That is how you get the best training for your employees. And that is how you stay true to your DEI policy at the same time.

“When you choose a self-defense trainer based on competence instead of gender, you are not just following the law. You are teaching your employees, by example, that competence matters more than stereotypes. And that lesson alone is worth the entire workshop.”

– Specialist Franklin Joseph