tokenism

American  

[toh-kuh-niz-uhm] / ˈtoʊ kəˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. the practice or policy of making no more than a token effort or gesture, as in offering opportunities to minorities equal to those of the majority.

2. any legislation, admissions policy, hiring practice, etc., that demonstrates only minimal compliance with rules, laws, or public pressure.

   Admitting one woman to the men's club was merely tokenism.

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tokenism British  

/ ˈtəʊkəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. the practice of making only a token effort or doing no more than the minimum, esp in order to comply with a law

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Other Word Forms

• tokenistic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tokenism

First recorded in 1960–65; token + -ism

Example Sentences

By example, the unexpected inclusion of a single male artist in a show of art by women makes a subtle if salient point: Tokenism was a significant issue in the era’s second-wave feminist movement.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2018

A case in point is her 48,948-word article in the Michigan Law Review of March 1991, titled "The Triumph of Tokenism," which Clinton singled out last week in explaining why he was withdrawing her nomination.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Tokenism" has a bad name, but tokens have their uses.

From Time Magazine Archive