💬 “On Wednesdays we wear pink.”
If you’ve seen Mean Girls, you’ll remember the line. In the film, it was a rule a way of showing who was “in” and who was left out.
At Caja, we flip that on its head. For us, pink isn’t about exclusivity it’s a reminder of the very real inequalities people face, especially when the design of a system leaves some groups behind.
Why pink matters
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink is everywhere: ribbons, campaigns, events. But beneath the colour lies a hard truth: not everyone benefits equally from the same services.
The way a system is designed its defaults can decide who engages and who doesn’t.
Take these everyday examples:
- Healthcare: If screening appointments are only offered Monday to Friday, 9–5, women working hourly-paid jobs may not attend, not because they don’t want to, but because the system isn’t designed for them.
- Digital access: If appointment booking is online-only, people without smartphones or reliable internet are excluded by default.
- Workplace change: If new processes are rolled out in English only, employees for whom English isn’t a first language will always be a step behind.
These aren’t just oversights. They’re design choices and they often widen existing gaps.
From default to deliberate
That’s why tackling inequalities means moving beyond awareness and being deliberate about design.
At Caja, we work with organisations to:
- Spot the defaults that create barriers and deepen inequalities
- Plan alternatives that give everyone a fair chance to participate
- Use behavioural insights to design pathways that meet people where they are, not where the system assumes they should be
Because if you don’t plan for inclusion, you plan for inequality.
Lessons beyond breast cancer
This principle isn’t unique to cancer. It applies everywhere:
- Public health programmes for alcohol or smoking
- Digital-first public services
- Organisational change projects
In every case, the defaults matter. And if those defaults aren’t challenged, the result is the same: the people with the greatest need are the ones least likely to benefit.
A small act, a bigger commitment
This week, our team wore pink. A small act but one that symbolises a bigger commitment: to call out the defaults that reinforce inequality and to design systems that work for everyone.
Because it’s not about what colour you wear on a Wednesday.
It’s about what choices you make every day to close the gap.
âś… Join the conversation
What defaults in your systems might be creating inequality?
And how are you planning alternatives? We’d love to hear your experiences.
