tokenism

noun

to·​ken·​ism ˈtō-kə-ˌni-zəm 

: the policy or practice of making only a symbolic effort especially to increase diversity (see diversity sense 2)

… it's highly agreed upon that several in Hollywood believe casting a Black role at all, is enough. But true progress means moving beyond tokenism and ensuring representation reflects the full depth and diversity of Black womanhood.

—Brianna Holt

Corporate America is beginning to realize that to make the most of nonwhite workers, it must move past hiring goals and tokenism and learn how to keep, motivate and promote minorities as well.

—Marcus Mabry et al.

tokenistic

ˌtō-kə-ˈni-stik 

adjective

It has become a tokenistic gesture, a superficial nod to diversity, while the underlying structures of oppression remain intact.

—Patrick Aina

Examples of tokenism in a Sentence

Did the company choose her for her merits, or merely as an act of tokenism?

Recent Examples on the Web

On the other hand, this strategy could turn into tokenism – a surface-level effort to create the appearance of inclusion without making structural changes or sharing power. — Krista Mehari, The Conversation, 23 July 2026

The cast also includes Will Yun Lee, John Leguizamo and a number of other actors of color and none of this feels like tokenism, but rather a colorblind approach to casting. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Especially as desirability politics, tokenism and a lack of diversity in cast have long been a standard. — Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 30 July 2025

But true progress means moving beyond tokenism and ensuring representation reflects the full depth and diversity of Black womanhood. — Essence, 28 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tokenism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• sophism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism