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Friday, Mar 14, 2025
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Google Eliminates Women's History Month and Various Cultural Celebrations from Calendar Application
The technology powerhouse has halted the showcasing of multiple cultural events in its calendar app, attributing this decision to concerns over scalability and sustainability.
Google has eliminated Women's History Month, Black History Month, and LGBTQ+ holidays from its popular calendar application.
For years, Google had spotlighted important cultural events on its calendar app, enhancing user awareness.
However, users have recently noted that these observances are no longer displayed.
A Google representative stated that these modifications were implemented for apolitical reasons, explaining that the effort required to manually manage cultural observances across various countries was neither 'scalable nor sustainable.' The statement mentioned that Google had previously showcased a broader range of cultural moments but received feedback regarding absent events, which led to the choice to concentrate on public holidays and national observances sourced from timeanddate.com.
Beginning in mid-2024, users will only see these official observances, though they can still manually add other important dates.
The Google Calendar application is used by over 500 million individuals globally for personal and professional purposes.
This policy change occurs during a time of broader transformations in corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies, particularly as the political landscape in the United States evolves.
In February 2023, Google's parent company, Alphabet, announced the retirement of certain DEI hiring objectives aimed at boosting employee representation from underrepresented groups.
Moreover, there has been a review of various DEI initiatives within the company, reflecting adjustments to recent U.S. government policy shifts.
Alphabet's chief people officer, Fiona Cicconi, pointed out that as a federal contractor, Google must assess its programs in accordance with recent court rulings and executive orders.
Adding to the company's complexities, it was reported in January 2023 that the Gulf of Mexico would be renamed the 'Gulf of America' following an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump.
These developments regarding Google’s calendar functions and its hiring policies highlight a nuanced adjustment within the company in response to broader socio-political dynamics.
For years, Google had spotlighted important cultural events on its calendar app, enhancing user awareness.
However, users have recently noted that these observances are no longer displayed.
A Google representative stated that these modifications were implemented for apolitical reasons, explaining that the effort required to manually manage cultural observances across various countries was neither 'scalable nor sustainable.' The statement mentioned that Google had previously showcased a broader range of cultural moments but received feedback regarding absent events, which led to the choice to concentrate on public holidays and national observances sourced from timeanddate.com.
Beginning in mid-2024, users will only see these official observances, though they can still manually add other important dates.
The Google Calendar application is used by over 500 million individuals globally for personal and professional purposes.
This policy change occurs during a time of broader transformations in corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies, particularly as the political landscape in the United States evolves.
In February 2023, Google's parent company, Alphabet, announced the retirement of certain DEI hiring objectives aimed at boosting employee representation from underrepresented groups.
Moreover, there has been a review of various DEI initiatives within the company, reflecting adjustments to recent U.S. government policy shifts.
Alphabet's chief people officer, Fiona Cicconi, pointed out that as a federal contractor, Google must assess its programs in accordance with recent court rulings and executive orders.
Adding to the company's complexities, it was reported in January 2023 that the Gulf of Mexico would be renamed the 'Gulf of America' following an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump.
These developments regarding Google’s calendar functions and its hiring policies highlight a nuanced adjustment within the company in response to broader socio-political dynamics.
