Something that is thought of or added later, usually as an unimportant addition to something that was already planned or completed.
From 'after' (Old English 'æfter') + 'thought' (Old English 'þoht'). Compound words combining these concepts appeared in the 1600s.
Historians love afterthoughts because they reveal what people actually valued—when designers add something as an afterthought, they're usually solving a real problem they ignored the first time.
Women and marginalized voices historically positioned as secondary considerations in design, policy, and institutions—treated as afterthoughts rather than primary stakeholders.
Acknowledge when groups have been historically sidelined; use to describe process failures, not people. Never describe a person as an afterthought.
["secondary consideration","overlooked perspective"]
Highlight women's and marginalized communities' essential roles in systems where they were initially excluded or added late.
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