As a global society we have made many strides forward in technology, the creation of innovative prototypes for a variety of purposes, medical research and agricultural advances to name a few but we sometimes seem to still be in the dark ages when it comes to the inclusion and credibility of women in leadership.
Northouse (2019, p. 418-419), in his case study involving Lori Bradley, an experienced probation officer and her interaction with her male colleagues addresses several issues that some women still experience in the workplace today. Firstly, Lori is not acknowledged by her male counterparts when she enters the room and is blatantly ignored. The actions of Ted and Ian send a blatant non-verbal message that Lori is not an accepted member of the group and that she doesn’t belong. Similar to schoolyard bullies, only these are grown men in a professional work place setting. Secondly, when she shares her well thought out and researched ideas with the group her suggestions don’t even receive a response. Thirdly, when the conversation between the two men swings back to her suggestion, they claim the idea as their own and provide praise and credit where it is not due. When Lori objected, she was slighted and insulted yet again by being told that she was being “too sensitive” (a stereotypically offensive trait). What Lori experienced in the case study is not an uncommon occurrence. Women all around the world are subjected to this type of indifference and dismissal. It made me wonder where and when men are being taught this unprofessional behaviour and what we as a society can do to change this.
Why do women feel like they still have to “prove themselves” more than 143 years after Jennie Kid Trout became the first licensed female Canadian doctor to practice medicine in 1875 (Chang Yen-Phillips, 2017) and why do some men presume that they are better, more effective leaders simply due to their gender?
Nugent, Pollack and Travis (2016) discuss the “returns on inclusion and the costs of exclusion” (p.2) and the importance for leaders to ensure that all employees feel a “sense of uniqueness” and a “sense of belonging” (p.2). Exclusion can cost organizations through employees having “compromised job satisfaction, lower sense of well being, reduced work effort, diminished employee voice, and greater intention to leave” (p.2). Lori from Northouse’s case study would definitely over time feel less satisfied with her job, feel voiceless, non-existent and through the deliberate lack of inclusion from her male co-workers be more inclined to want to leave the organization.
Image courtesy of www.cbc.ca
I have to admit that when my daughter was born in 1998, we purposely gave her a neutral gender name so that future employers could not engage in gender bias behaviour based on the name on her resume. This is similar to Northouse (2019, p. 410) discussing the prejudice that existed towards females auditioning for roles with symphony orchestras and how changes were put in place to help prevent discrimination by having everyone audition behind a screen.
I read an interesting online article (Bryant, 2018) the other day about Equinox CEO Niki Leondaki and how like Lori in the case study she used to be ignored at meetings. Men assumed she was the assistant in the room rather than the boss and avoided addressing her questions or comments. Once she realized this was happening, she took measures to try and fix this misconception by handing out her business cards at the start of the meeting. This enabled everyone at the table to be informed that she, instead of her colleagues was the CEO.
As a woman who has also at times experienced what feels like ‘the boys only club’, I try to take steps like Niki Leondaki did to raise awareness and find ways to be pro-active to help off-set any preconceived assumptions. I will discuss this further in my next blog post. We’ve come a long way in many areas, but we still have a ways to go when it comes to breaking down years of gender bias in the workplace and making sustainable changes so that everyone has a voice and is acknowledged regardless of race, gender, religion or culture!
If you are reading this and are a woman, do you stand up for yourself and other women in your organization when you or someone else is a victim of gender bias or exclusion? If you are a man reading this, do you stand up for women and inclusion if you witness a woman being excluded or ignored at a meeting or during a discussion simply because of her gender? If you said no, I am curious to know your reasons why not. If you said yes, I am equally curious to know if you felt like your actions helped make sustainable changes in the culture of your workplace.
References:
Bryant, A. (2018, June 13). Equinox CEO: Men used to ignore me in meetings – here’s the trick I use to get their attention. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/12/equinox-ceo-niki-leondakis-shares-the-trick-she-uses-to-command-respect.html
Chang-Yen Phillips, C. (2017, March 7). Canada’s first licensed female doctor had to swallow many bitter pills. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/2017/canada-s-first-licensed-female-doctor-had-to-swallow-many-bitter-pills-1.4011950
Northouse, P.G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and Practice. (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Nugent, J., Pollack A. & D. Travis (2016). The day to day experiences of workplace inclusion and exclusion. Retrieved from www.catalyst.org/system/files/the_day_to_day_experiences_of_workplace_inclusion_and_exclusion.pdf
I loved your post and to answer your question, yes I make sure I stand up for myself and help others do the same as well. Gender bias is one of the biggest threat to women in leadership positions and this should be dealt with right. Today feminism is on an all-time high and there are many men as well as women coming together to face this and solve this problem and I hope the scenario will change in the coming years.
Thanks Shaaz, the more I dig into this topic of women in leadership, the more intrigued I am by it. You mention in your comment that “gender bias should be dealt with right” and I guess that’s the key part that I personally am struggling with the most in my organization… how DO we go about making sure we do this right?
Like other forms of bias, it is the subtle acts of bias that can be the most difficult to confront. However, acknowledging bias, shining a spot light on it, and continuing to lead authentically are strategies I have used when confronted with bias. Like many other cultural changes, it takes time and individual experience before some come to realize that actions they considered “normal” actually reflect bias.
For example, as a woman in leadership, I have worked in an organization where women made up the majority of senior leadership positions. In that organization, there was such a “critical mass” of women leaders, that women were no longer considered unusual for their aspirations toward (and achievement in) leadership. In contrast, I have also worked in organizations where senior women leaders are few, and thus are required (in often subtle ways) to not only prove themselves worthy of their position, but also prove the worth of all women in leadership. In one organization, women leaders were more likely to hear criticisms of work that reflected gender-bias, like “You are being naive” or “You are two assertive” (two sides of the same coin, read: “women are too naive to be in leadership” or “You are being too assertive for a woman.” These types of criticism should be noticed, identified, and engaged. And then, as with all leaders, we must move on with our important work, being authentic about the challenges along the way.
For further reading on sexist language in the workplace:
http://time.com/22004/how-to-not-sound-like-a-sexist-jerk-even-if-youre-a-woman/
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-01/words-you-should-avoid-using-about-women-in-the-workplace/7467848
— Leadership Prof
Thank you for your comments Leadership Prof. There is so much truth in what you have shared! A lot of times, people aren’t intentional in their bias, and have come to just think of it as being normal. It isn’t until the bias is pointed out, that they are sometimes stunned to realize that is what they have been doing. Thank you for the reading suggestions! Through our course assignments and readings, I have become intrigued with how women can positively and sustainably overcome gender bias when entering roles that have been predominately filled by males in the past.