To complement that topic, we’ll look at ways to eliminate gender prejudice in the workplace, as this is a critical step toward reaching a balance. First, we’ll look at some gender prejudice data and why it’s so crucial to address them. Then we’ll look at measures you may take to combat gender prejudice (both conscious and unconscious) and create a better balance.
Let’s get this party started!
Why Is It Important to Address Gender Bias?
Many nations have achieved great progress toward gender parity in recent decades, thanks to the dedicated work of activists in the feminist movement and others. Legislation has been passed, working conditions have improved, and women’s presence in top management positions is growing. Seek consultation from the Best Psychiatrist near me at Talktoangel.
So, we can all congratulate ourselves on the back and forget about gender prejudice, right?
No, not exactly. Despite progress, there is still a long way to go before the gender balance that is the topic of this year’s International Women’s Day becomes a reality.
To demonstrate this, consider the following statistics and facts on gender prejudice in the workplace:
- The majority of women (62%) in male-dominated businesses feel sexual harassment is a problem.
- In 2017, there were over 25,000 claims of sex-based discrimination, with over $135 million in settlements.
- Four out of every 10 working women report encountering gender harassment at work.
- According to studies, “women who advertise themselves are perceived as breaking modesty and hence less hireable, women who bargain for greater compensation are perceived as violating passivity, and women who display anger are perceived as violating warmth.”
- Women earn 13.8% less than males in OECD nations on average.
- In Australia, 49% of mothers experienced workplace sex discrimination while pregnant, on parental leave, or returning to work. In addition, 40 to 50% of EU women have experienced workplace sexual harassment.
- Women of colour make up one-fifth of the US population yet hold only 3% of senior executive positions.
Keep in mind that the majority of these figures on women in the labour market come from nations where the fight for gender equality is apparently better advanced. There are still 18 nations where women require permission from their husbands to work and 155 where at least one rule restricts women’s economic potential.
As you can see, gender prejudice is a severe problem that has real consequences such as restricting women’s job options and making their working life far more difficult than it should be.
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Gender Bias in the Workplace: How to Overcome It
What can you do to combat gender prejudice in your workplace? Here are actions you can take.
Redesign the Recruiting Process
One prominent source of gender prejudice is in the hiring process. Even if you are not actively discriminating, you may wind up giving males an unfair edge due to factors such as:
- way you phrase your job advertisements
- the specifications you provide
- your interview questions and evaluations
- utilising your own male-dominated networks
Begin by reviewing your recruitment procedure. If you aren’t currently tracking the gender split of your new recruits, start now—and if feasible, go back and do it retrospectively over the previous several years.
Look for equality and justice not only in total numbers but also in the sorts of positions and the levels of seniority. Hiring ten women in junior administrative positions and ten males in top management does not constitute equality.
Then, following the steps mentioned in my video on ensuring diversity in your recruitment and hiring operations, take precise action on everything from crafting the ad to doing the interview and hiring.
Perform regular pay audits
The gender wage gap is large in many nations, as seen by the above figures on women in the labour force. This is one of the most visible instances of gender bias: women working hard and doing a good job but earning less money than males.
As a result, conducting frequent pay audits in your company is critical.
What does this imply? Essentially, it entails identifying all of your employees and their pay rates and determining whether there is an overall pay disparity between men and women.
It also entails being more detailed and comparing individuals in similar tasks and with comparable levels of performance.
This must be addressed if there is a wage disparity between men and women despite all other criteria being approximately equal.
Allow for Flexible Work
Although gender roles are not as rigid as they once were, polls reveal that women are still responsible for most domestic duties and childcare.
So, establishing inflexible working hours that make things like picking up the kids from school more difficult can be a subtle but potent kind of gender prejudice. A more visible manifestation that might hinder women’s careers is a lack of maternity and parental leave accommodations.
If you wish to eliminate gender prejudice in your workplace, consider implementing more flexible working options. What it looks like varies per firm, but it might include things like:
- job sharing
- work from home
- hours that are flexible
- parental leave is generous
- initiatives to assist women returning to work after a professional break
- roles that are part-time
- day-care services
Flexible working options are also popular with all employees, not just women. You can improve employee happiness while addressing unconscious gender prejudice.
Equalize and Analyse Promotion Opportunities
That glass ceiling must be constructed of some really thick, hardened, shatterproof glass because it’s not cracked yet.
Examine your own organisation: what are the degrees of representation like? Do you have a pyramid construction like this?
In this situation, you have two choices:
- Improve prospects for professional advancement and advancement within the firm.
- Boost the proportion of women in senior management positions
The first would entail things like mentorship programmes, career advancement plans, and ensuring parity in how promotions are awarded. The second should be addressed as part of your earlier-mentioned reform of the recruitment process.
Set a good example.
Employees are interested in what is going on at the top of the organisation.
If they witness women running the organisation or in positions of authority, they are more likely to apply that lesson to their own responsibilities. If they witness an all-male leadership team informing them about gender prejudice, they are unlikely to take it seriously.
Consider your own biases, if you’re a male. Who do you spend your time with? Who is your go-to experts? How do you interact with men and women? Do you have a habit of explaining things to women?
You can’t address gender prejudice in your organisation if you show evidence of it yourself.
Create Clear Company Policies
Creating an anti-discrimination policy does not eliminate gender prejudice, but it does assist. It is critical to have paperwork outlining exactly what type of behaviour is anticipated and what type of behaviour will not be accepted.
Your company’s rules should also provide a procedure for handling allegations of harassment, discrimination, or bias against women. You should take all charges seriously and ensure that they are examined immediately and completely, with as much independence and openness as possible, and that anybody who violates the code of conduct is dealt with swiftly and forcefully.
Remember that reporting an incidence of sexual harassment, prejudice, or discrimination in a tight working environment can be extremely difficult, especially if it includes the employee’s supervisor or someone in high management. So, search for measures to safeguard your employees and make them feel comfortable and confident enough to report any instances of gender bias that they encounter.
Educate Your Employees
A policy is fantastic, but it must be read and understood by everyone. People must also perform the following:
- analysing more complicated scenarios
- being aware of one’s own unconscious prejudices
- attempting to overcome their own biases
- grasping the benefits of gender diversity learning how to communicate properly
A proper training programme may do all of this and more. Professional training might be costly for small firms, but it is the most effective approach to assist your workers to learn and implement best practices. Other possibilities, such as online training, books, and other resources, might be effective alternatives if your budget is restricted.
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