Minimising The Gap: Spotting & Eliminating Gender Bias In The Workplace
Numerous individuals stand to gain when organisations prioritise diversity and inclusion. Women, individuals with diverse perspectives, and people of colour play pivotal roles in challenging cognitive biases, fostering a climate that encourages high-quality ideas and innovation.
Despite some companies making strides in establishing inclusive practices, women persistently confront biases in their professional journeys. The entrenched inequality within workplaces didn’t materialise overnight and won’t dissipate without intentional and conscious efforts. A deliberate commitment to bring about this change is imperative.
While we have an idea of what gender perception bias entails, let us understand how to spot instances of these biases in our professional lives, and how to combat them.
How To Spot Gender Bias In The Workplace
Both employers and employees must grasp the ways in which gender bias manifests and detrimentally impacts work environments. Consider the following questions to elevate your awareness and mitigate gender bias.
- How work is distributed and expectations are managed
Unconscious gender bias subtly reveals itself in the workplace concerning assignments and responsibilities, or the lack thereof, especially for women.
Task distribution remains notably gender-biased, with women frequently assigned roles like welcoming visitors, serving beverages, organising events, managing invoices, and documenting meeting minutes. In contrast, men often find themselves entrusted with significant leadership responsibilities involving strategy and vision, along with physical tasks like handling the water cooler.
Under such circumstances, it becomes evident who accumulates a more impressive portfolio when promotion opportunities arise.
In essence, if one tends to associate men with flexibility and logic while perceiving women as more organised and emotional, it indicates the presence of gender bias.
2. Making assumptions about private lives
Women encounter a significant hurdle in job hunting — the assumption that they’ll inevitably quit or take extended leave for childcare, a presumption not extended to men.
Efforts toward embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion require a reconsideration of gender roles. It’s crucial to recognise that not every woman desires children, and not every man intends to leave child rearing solely to mothers.
Common microaggressions perpetuate these assumptions, such as immediately associating a woman’s pregnancy with inquiries about time off, questioning a male co-worker’s childcare responsibilities, or probing a female coworker about her family plans. Despite seemingly innocent intentions, these comments contribute to gender bias, eroding psychological safety in the workplace.
3. Your personal views on work-life balance
During hectic work seasons, it’s typical to feel frustrated when colleagues leave the office early or appear to have a lighter workload. Even if you are aware that a female co-worker has flexible working hours or specific childcare commitments, you may still perceive it as unfair.
This frustration might lead to biased evaluations, assessing the co-worker more based on your feelings than their actual output.
Essentially, applying critical thinking and emotional intelligence is crucial at work. These skills enable a big-picture perspective, eliminating gender-based comparisons from the equation.
4. Who is trusted to remember the details?
Similar to task delegation, women are often burdened with the role of memory banks, responsible for details that some men may overlook.
Whether consciously or subconsciously, there’s a tendency to rely on female co-workers to manage dates, times for meetings, confirmation calls, and logistical aspects of office events. However, if the co-worker’s role is not that of a personal secretary but, for instance, a sales rep or graphic designer, it signifies a flaw in the perception of her capabilities.
Moreover, exclusively assigning organisational tasks to women deprives men of opportunities to develop these skills and become more well-rounded.
Allowing gender bias to serve as a crutch obstructs skill development for everyone involved.
Eliminating Gender Bias At Work
Once you have spotted signs of gender bias at your workplace, you can encourage your organisation to take the following steps:
- Review and standardise pay practices
Regularly assess salaries to ensure equality across genders and races.
During the hiring process, determine the salary range based on years of experience, allowing flexibility for notable accomplishments, rather than relying on the candidate’s negotiation skills from their previous pay package.
2. Have a solid discrimination policy in place
Establish an impartial, non-retaliatory discrimination policy that provides employees with a transparent mechanism to report inappropriate treatment in the workplace. Ensure comprehensive awareness and understanding of the policy, and enforce stringent penalties for sexual discrimination and harassment.
3. Bring about smooth recruitment processes
Craft job advertisements with precision, considering research findings that reveal certain adjectives like ‘competitive’ and ‘determined’ can deter women. Alternatively, use terms like ‘collaborative’ and ‘co-operative,’ which tend to attract a more diverse audience. Implement standardised interviews, anonymise resumes, and employ blind evaluation processes for unbiased recruitment practices.
4. Train employees on unconscious bias
Raise awareness among employees about their unconscious biases. While this may not guarantee a shift in attitudes, it empowers employees to recognize and actively work towards eliminating these biases.
5. Promote merit-based work
Foster a culture where innovative ideas can emerge from individuals of all levels, genders, and races, ensuring that every voice is not only welcomed but also respected at the discussion table.
6. Encourage more women for senior roles
Encouraging women to pursue senior roles is crucial for combating gender bias in the workplace. This promotes diversity, enriches decision-making, and challenges stereotypes, fostering an inclusive and successful organisational culture.
In Conclusion
Spotting and combatting gender discrimination in the workplace is essential for fostering a fair, inclusive, and innovative work environment. By addressing these issues, organisations can ensure equal opportunities, diverse perspectives, and overall employee well-being, leading to sustained success and growth.
References:
- https://globisinsights.com/purpose/dei/gender-bias-in-the-workplace/
- https://gap.hks.harvard.edu/evidence-gendered-wording-job-advertisements-exists-and-sustains-gender-inequality
- https://www.sage.com/en-gb/blog/eliminate-gender-diversity-workforce/
