Conscious steps to beating gender bias in business.
Ask anyone and they’ll agree that bias has no place in business. So, it may come as a surprise to hear that unconscious biases, like gender bias, continue to create inequalities within workplaces at every stage of the employment lifecycle. In this piece, we’ll explore some of the ways that these biases influence important decisions, plus share some strategies to address them.
Gender bias is just one of the forms of unconscious bias proven to have a negative impact on our decision-making. Monash University defines unconscious biases as “attitudes and patterns of perceptions that are held subconsciously and can be very ingrained”, and that “these automatic associations can lead to assumptions that are not always accurate,... and can result in the creation of unfair advantages or disadvantages without the decision-maker’s awareness”.
Implicit biases around gender, ethnicity, age, experience, mental health and sexual orientation, can arise from harmful stereotypes that we’ve absorbed over time from the media, our culture, or the workplace. It’s important to note that, even if we believe that we don’t carry them, it is our responsibility to recognise and address unconscious biases so that they don’t develop into discrimination, or worse – produce and sustain inequality in the workplace.
From the way job ads are worded to the way candidates are selected, interviewed and evaluated, gender biases can creep in from the get-go. Women can face tougher candidate assessment standards than men, having not only their achievements and qualifications, but their ‘likeability’ more heavily scrutinised. Studies have shown time and time again, that women who violate traditional stereotypes of femininity and “appear to be overly confident or assertive are frequently judged to be less ‘likeable’ than women who conform to a more traditional feminine stereotype” (Eagly and Karau, 2002; Heilman, 2001; Rudman and Glick, 2001). But, these stereotypes don’t benefit the women who choose to conform to more traditional roles either.
The motherhood penalty.
Women who choose to have families, also face what the Treasury calls “a divergence of earnings” following their entry into parenthood. This ‘motherhood penalty’ refers to the 55% average drop in earnings that women experience in the first five years of parenthood, due to carer responsibilities. According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), “the value of unpaid childcare work is around $345 billion… almost three times larger than the financial and insurance sector combined”; a role that falls disproportionately on women and working mothers taking time out of the workforce to look after children.
These gender biases also harm men, with research from Australia and the United Kingdom showing men similarly disadvantaged when applying for entry-level roles (Riach and Rich, 2006) or jobs in heavily female-dominated occupations (Booth and Leigh, 2010). Very quickly, you’ll notice how these stereotypes create limitations not opportunities, sustaining harmful generalisations about our workforce and its potential.
Gender bias in the workplace.
As we enter the office, these biases continue to affect things like employee expectations, evaluations and interpersonal relationships. I’d experienced these biases first hand, prior to starting equidi.
There was one particular male colleague, who recently joined the business in a senior leadership role. He was eager to form new relationships with the leadership team members by arranging informal 1-on-1 meetings over a beer with everyone, well, everyone except for me; the only woman on the team. While this approach might have been harmless or purely ‘coincidental’, when the time came for us to work together, it was clear that we shared no established foundation or rapport, setting our team dynamic back.
At one point, this manager and I had a discussion about us needing to work together more closely, and he raised that he didn't know me that well, and we hadn't formed much of a relationship over the past six months. I responded by saying I agreed and expressed that I was aware he'd made an effort and met with every other team member, and I was disappointed I didn't get that opportunity - so I agreed, we hadn't formed much of a relationship. My comments were not received very well, and he accused me of calling him 'sexist'. I responded, "I never said that".
For some, this scenario may seem like just another workplace interaction, but it’s situations like these which perpetuate exclusion and discrimination; working against profitability and diminishing efforts to improve diversity, equality and inclusivity (DE&I).
So how might organisations foster more inclusion, diversity and equality within the workplace?
💎 Recognise the elephant in the room.
From biases around affinity (preferring people who are just like us) to distance (prioritising input from people who are nearer in proximity/physical space or time zone to people dialling in from remote locations), no matter how senior or seasoned we are, we are all susceptible to unconscious bias, and we can all benefit from creating the time and space to talk about it in the workplace.
💎 Understand how gender bias works.
Learn from leaders and DE&I specialists demonstrating best-practise in your field. Additionally, you might want to consider booking your team in for unconscious bias training. Then, utilise your learnings to create better KPIs, team structures, processes and policies. equidi provides up-to-date programs and resources to support organisations that want to enact positive change from the inside-out. Additionally, independent bodies like the Diversity Council of Australia also provide workshops, events and resources for members.
💎 Consider how biases influences the four Ps: promotion, progression, performance and pay.
Whether we like it or not, all these cycles can be rife with unconscious bias, and meritocracy ignores the headwinds and tailwinds of your multi-dimensional workforce. Understanding & analysing your data can help you craft forward-thinking, robust frameworks around career progression, promotion, performance and pay equity. Talk to us at equidi about how we can help you.
Ready to drive gender equity forward in your business? Join the movement!
The Gender Equity Movement is a collective of individuals, businesses and advocates committed to creating equity and reducing the gender pay gap. Sign up as a business ally, or advocate and support the cause today!
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