Disrupt Gender Bias in the Workplace

At the current rate of progress, it will take another 108 years to reach gender parity, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report. If we want to see more gender equality in our lifetime and create more empowering workplaces for our children and grandchildren, we all have an important role to play.

Toxic work cultures and microaggressions continue to plague the workplace, making it hard for some employees to bring their full selves to work while achieving their desired career progression. So, what can we do to combat the problem? Here are 5 actionable strategies:

1. Educate Yourself & Your Colleagues

If your colleagues aren’t aware there’s a gender bias issue, they won’t make changes. Make sure your team knows what gender bias looks like (the outright and the subtle) and how to avoid it in the workplace. Showcasing clear examples and going through exercises can help illustrate the point.

Below are some steps to overcoming gender bias that addresses the wider system rather than expecting individual women to solve this problem:

• Awareness & Action. Put on ‘Bias filter glasses’ and when you notice a colleague’s comment or actions being taken at work that deepens bias, take action. Here are some practical case scenarios with tips on how to respond.
• Systemic change. The only way we will create meaningful change is to become more acutely aware of policies and champion changes. For example, ensuring there is a balance of genders when shortlisting candidates for interviews or creating panel interviews to reduce bias in the hiring process.

With more education, we can be better prepared to identify bias when we see it or hear it.

2. Evaluate and Champion for Equal Pay

We’ve all heard about the gender pay gap. This shows that women are paid less than men based on the same amount of work. In 2020, women still make 81 cents to every dollar a man makes. This might be the case in your company, it might not. It takes courage to open up the conversation regarding pay equity- and it’s an important one. Evaluate your current pay structure to make sure you’re aware of any discrepancies that might fall in line with this national average.

People should be paid the same amount for the same job, period. Women should be encouraged to go after raises just as much as men. By evaluating compensation trends, you can be aware of any patterns, inconsistent policies or obvious bias that may exist. By acknowledging it, you can take steps to make compensation systems more progressive and reflective of equal pay for equal work.