FLOSS communities can be an ideal environment where diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) support creating software and hardware in a collaborative manner. However, FLOSS projects still might not be managed in a way that is diverse or inclusive, or perceived to be this way. Mozilla’s Rebel Alliance Report in 2020 stated that “in reality, open source communities tend to be less diverse than the overall tech industry.”
Until recently, tech giants such as Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and IBM had incorporated diversity and inclusion into their business models in order to attract and retain talent, strengthen their policies, and influence corporate culture, all in order to increase revenue and drive innovation. In 2025, however, there was a reversal and cancellation of many corporate DEI programmes influenced by Project 2025 and the Trump administration in the United States.
What are diversity, equity and inclusion?
When we talk about diversity, we are referring to the many different aspects that make up a person’s identity – such as race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, language, tribe, caste, socio-economic status and more.
People in FLOSS communities and users of FLOSS software and hardware may refer to various identities and life experiences. When working on a FLOSS project, it is important to have in mind how your project, behaviour and actions might impact:
- People with various abilities, especially people with cognitive, emotional, hearing, mental, physical, visual and other disabilities.
- People of various ages, especially young and aging people.
- People from different cultural and socioeconomic environments.
- People of various genders and gender identities, especially trans, non-binary and women.
- People of various sexual orientations, especially lesbian, gay, asexual and bisexual.
- People living in various time zones and continents (the Global South, working remotely).
- People using various languages that might not be English, especially non-native language speakers, migrants.
- People who were not in contact with modern technology due to a lack of access or their economic situation.
- People who are learning to code or are not yet familiar with all technologies used in your FLOSS project.
- People with non-technical skills who are participating in the FLOSS project (documentation, community-building, design and users who need to report an issue with the software or open a support ticket, first-time users) and frequent users.
- People with slow and/or unreliable access to the internet.
- People whose usage of the internet means high mobile data cost.
- People using small screens only, especially those who use mobile phones as primary or only device.
- Activists, especially those who are vulnerable in different contexts, such as whistle-blowers, journalists, human rights defenders, environmental activists, journalists, digital and internet rights activists, women’s rights activists, and sexual and reproductive health and rights activists.
- People in abusive relationships, bullied children and elderly, survivors of abuse/violence and stalking.
- People who live on the margins of normative societies, especially homeless, incarcerated, sex workers, undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers.
- Other oppressed, marginalised and underrepresented groups.
In this context:
- Equity focuses on fairness and ensuring that everyone has access to equal opportunities. It involves recognising that people begin from different starting points, and providing the support needed for meaningful participation. In practice, this can include lowering barriers to entry, offering clear contribution guidelines and documentation, labelling tasks as “Good first issues”, recognising all contributors, enforcing a code of conduct, maintaining transparency, improving accessibility, providing translations and adopting other inclusive practices.
- Inclusion emphasises valuing every voice and fostering a culture where people from all backgrounds feel encouraged to share their ideas and perspectives. Its goal is to ensure that everyone feels welcomed and supported, that their voices are heard, and that both online and offline spaces are safe for individuals to be themselves.
While technologies can be used as transformative tools that can change power relations, they can also be used to preserve the present status quo. We have to acknowledge that technology is not neutral in its design, access and use. It is also not immune to other social realities. Achieving true diversity and inclusion in tech requires correction of systemic, structural and cultural issues across the tech ecosystem. It also requires positive action that implies extra effort, time and resources.
We believe that as participants in the FLOSS ecosystem, we are all ethically responsible for the software and hardware we help create. It can be used to perpetuate inequalities or help empower marginalised communities, and fight against patriarchy, capitalism, sexism, gender violence, racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, colonialism, fascism, surveillance and oppressive control.
Purpose of the guide
The purpose of the guide is to spark conversations within the FLOSS community and project teams. It does not offer a definitive list of actions that will magically make a project diverse, just and inclusive; but it will guide readers to reflect on various aspects of DEI in FLOSS communities. It encourages people involved in FLOSS projects to imagine how things could be done differently and validates existing processes and practices.
FLOSS projects are not only about the code or designing hardware; equally or even more important is how projects are managed, how people contributing to the project and the users are treated, who feels welcome to participate and who might be harmed by the technologies that we help create. This is key to the future survival and usefulness of the software or hardware tool. Our guide incorporates feminist values, acknowledges privilege, and challenges norms, values and power structures. It helps projects ask: “Who is creating this service, platform, protocol or technology and who benefits from it?”
Building a diverse, just and inclusive FLOSS community requires time, introspection, empathy, a desire to learn and willingness to change ourselves, our communities and the processes we are all part of.