NLP needs Diversity outside of 'Diversity'
For NLP researchers and conference organizers, it highlights structural biases that limit diversity beyond fairness-related areas.
The paper argues that diversity efforts in NLP are overly focused on fairness, marginalizing researchers in other subfields, and provides demographic evidence to support recommendations for broader inclusivity.
This position paper argues that recent progress with diversity in NLP is disproportionately concentrated on a small number of areas surrounding fairness. We further argue that this is the result of a number of incentives, biases, and barriers which come together to disenfranchise marginalized researchers in non-fairness fields, or to move them into fairness-related fields. We substantiate our claims with an investigation into the demographics of NLP researchers by subfield, using our research to support a number of recommendations for ensuring that all areas within NLP can become more inclusive and equitable. In particular, we highlight the importance of breaking down feedback loops that reinforce disparities, and the need to address geographical and linguistic barriers that hinder participation in NLP research.