IWD 2022 #breakthebias : Prove-It-Again Bias
It’s international women’s day and this year 2022, the theme is “Break the Bias”.
This is basically a call for women and all to join hands in breaking bias and stereotypes stamped on the female gender.
One common bias that women face in their growth and career is the “prove-it-again bias”. This bias is based on the stereotypical women’s behavior. The prove-it-again bias implies that women have to provide more and enough evidence of competence than men do to be seen as equally capable for the same role or position.
Men are presumed to be competent, while women are considered less competent and as such, they often have to prove their competence over and over again. Unfortunately for women, success is historically tied to masculinity, which is why most people picture a man in a suit as the typical professional.
Instances of Prove-It-Bias
· Men are judged on potential while women are judged on performance. Women are not given important project because they are considered less experienced. In contrast, inexperienced men are given important projects because they are considered as having the potential.
· Men’s wins are often attributed to a skill while women’s wins are often discounted to be caused by luck or circumstance. Why? Because for men, it confirms the stereotype of the “successful”.
· Women’s mistakes tend to be noticed more and remembered longer while men’s are soon forgotten. Why? Because somehow, it is expected that a woman makes mistakes as she wasn’t really a great fit for the job.
· When a woman offers an idea that is ignored, but that same idea is acknowledged later when a man says it. Why? Because great ideas are expected to come from men.
In a study conducted by the council of advisors on science and technology, 100% of women interviewed reported encountering one or more of these patterns of gender bias. Roughly two-thirds of both women interviewed (66.7%) and those surveyed (63.9%) reported the Prove-It-Again bias.
The Prove-It-Again bias is more commonplace for black women than for the other three groups of women. Black women (76.9%) were more likely than other women to report having to provide more evidence of competence than others to prove themselves at work. Other groups include Latinas: 64.5%; Asian-Americans: 63.6%; White women: 62.7%.
Over and over again, women always have their successes discounted and their expertise questioned. This double-standard unfairly denies women of important things and make them less confident of themselves.
This bias and many more are well identified continuously, however, little is been done to break the bias and bring forth change.
As women wait for change, it is best to work around some of these barriers that the system throw up. This is important because accumulation of small disadvantages in our careers lead to immerse lags in salary, promotions, impact and influence.
HOW TO BREAK THE BIAS AS A WOMAN
Put yourself out there
If there are nine requirements for a job role, women tend to wait till they have all the nine or more. Men go up when they have five or six because they are under gender pressures of their own to prove they must be reckoned with. As a woman, don’t wait till you satisfy all requirements. You will need to sometimes put yourself out there and operate outside your comfort zone.
Embrace personal development
Personal development is anything you engage in that enhances the quality of your life and helps you achieve your goals. It is striving to become the best version of yourself everyday. As a woman, continue to grow all aspects of your life and keep adding value to yourself. The more you become valuable, the more you act valuable and the more you’re seen as valuable. Sooner or later, you won’t need to prove anything to anyone again.
Keep record of your successes
If people are more likely to notice and remember your mistakes while forgetting your successes, then you need to remind them. It’s important you carefully and constantly keep real-time records of your successes. These include the metrics you’ve met, the milestones you’ve hit, the goals you’ve accomplished, the compliments you’ve received and the feats you’ve achieved. Most importantly, be able to show how you nailed it all.
Know your limits
Working hard is crucial to success and may be one way to prove your competence again but it can also be stressful, isolating and exhausting. Anxiety about proving a stereotype can decrease your performance. It’s best to know the biases you’re up against and leave some energy for yourself.
The first step to overcoming biases is to learn about them. Proving yourself over and over is exhausting. It is paramount to take care of yourself, know what stresses and relaxes you, and leave time for rejuvenation.
As you celebrate International Women’s Day 2022 today, you’re encouraged to do your best to #breakthebias of prove-it-again.
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