Addressing Gender Stereotypes in Job Roles

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• When my super boss called me to his cabin, I
  assumed he wanted to guide me on preparing for
  the overseas Internal Job Posting that I had
  applied for. As a top performer, I knew I had a
  good chance of being selected.
• Sadly, he hadnt called to provide me guidance.
  The meeting circled around whether I had
  discussed the application with my husband and
  both our families, and what their reactions were.
  I was asked to rethink if plans to start my own
  family, if any, were in sync with the decision to
  apply for an overseas position.
• Discouraged, I naively remember asking a male
  colleague who had applied as well, if he had
  received such a meeting invite? He hadnt.
• Did I feel disappointed at the turn of events?
  Yes.
• But did I realize then, that my super boss had
  gender-stereotyped me? No.

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What are Gender Stereotypes?
Gender stereotypes are preconceived ideas that
attribute specific characteristics to all the
members of the gender. For instance, men are
leaders and that they are good at science. Or
that women are great at being caretakers and are
natural collaborators.
The impact of gender stereotypes

• World over, men are held in higher esteem and
  considered to be more powerful and promising when
  compared to women. As a result, when men and
  women receive identical performance appraisal
  ratings, studies have shown that male employees
  are more likely to be promoted.
• A negative correlation between women and power
  and success results in women facing the brunt of
  gender stereotyping in resume selection,
  interviews, hiring, salary, performance
  appraisals, potential, opportunities, and
  promotions.
• Men also experience gender stereotyping by being
  disincentivized for opting for roles
  traditionally held by women, etc.
• When gender stereotyping overlaps with
  stereotyping against races or people of color or
  those in minorities, its impact is amplified.

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Gender stereotypes exist everywhere and in
everyone
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How do we remove Gender Stereotypes at work?
Recruitment
Use Neutral language in JDs Gendered languages
in JDs are biased towards men. For instance, the
use of ninja in JDs increased by 400 in
recent years. Associated with masculinity, it did
not resonate with female applicants who didnt
always apply for such jobs. Using neutral
language not only eliminates gender bias but also
helps organizations receive a larger number of
applicants. Hide Demographics Candidates have a
better shot at an unbiased interview when
organizations hide their name, gender, address
and educational background from the resume. Ask
for work samples By asking for work samples and
weighing it high in evaluation, interviewers are
less likely to succumb to gender
stereotypes. Structured Interviews and Fixed
Evaluation Criteria Structured interview formats
with fixed evaluation criteria help interviewers
stay objective. Comparative Performance
evaluations Evaluating an employees performance
as well as relative performance to the peer
group, ensures merit in the process.
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Breaking down existing stereotypes

• Training Training helps employees understand
  biases and gender stereotypes, but provides
  modest gains. However, they are ineffective when
  made mandatory.
• Model behavior When senior employees model the
  behavior they want to spread, it becomes the new
  norm, that employees try to match. For instance,
  calling out those who engage in gendered
  behavior.
• Symbols of gender-equality Actions like gender
  pay-gap audits, transparency in promotion
  criteria, equal access to mentors, default
  gender-neutral benefits (Telstra offers
  flexibility for all employees) enables equality.
• There is a heightened sense of awareness of
  gender stereotypes across organizations around
  the world. It behooves organizations to redesign
  their processes and tackle gender-stereotypes, to
  benefit from a gender-balanced workforce.

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For more details, visit our website
https//www.kelphr.com/