he said, she said: gender bias in the 2015/sessions/csd/121 csd gender bias.pdfdoes gender bias...

IASA 87TH ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE & BUSINESS SHOW

He Said, She Said: Gender Bias in the Workplace Session Number 121


Janeen Blanton Salient Commercial Solutions

Bruce Lee is my hero I love action movies (no chick

flicks please!) I hate cooking, cleaning and all

things domestic! Talk to me about football, not

fashion! My husband is primary caregiver I handle the family finances I have a technical background I am straight forward and blunt


Rex Bagwell Salient Commercial Solutions

Ironing clothes is like therapy to me I admit to liking some chick flicks –

“How to Lose a Guy in 10 days” I shop for and buy most of my

wife’s clothes and shoes I love to rock babies I return home routinely to clean my

elderly Mom’s home I love to shop – for tools, sporting

goods and hardware I’m a news, politics and sports

junkie


What made us come up with this?

It all started with a conversation about work life balance… …and we found

that even with similar

upbringing and values we saw

things somewhat differently.


Agenda

How to recognize gender bias Understanding the causes of gender issues How to overcome gender issues

We want to hear from YOU!


Does gender bias really exist today?

Our beginning assumptions… Survey says…

• 124 respondents • Primarily financial services industry • Silent Generation to Gen Y • Almost evenly split between male and female • Entry level through C level • From all across the us and a few from foreign countries

85% said gender bias still exists! 97% of women said yes

71% of men said yes


What exactly are we talking about here?

Some Definitions A particular tendency,

trend, inclination, feeling, or opinion, especially one that is preconceived or unreasoned about a social group; prejudice.



Some Definitions Overt

• Open to view or knowledge; not concealed or secret.

Unconscious • Not consciously realized,

planned, or done; without conscious volition or intent.



Some Definitions Discrimination

• Treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit.

Bad Behavior • Behavior = a stereotyped, species-specific activity, as a courtship

dance or startle reflex.



So let’s lay it all out there… Women take care, men take charge. Women aren’t good at math and

technology. Women don’t want to advance

because of family. Women don’t need to be paid as much

because their pay is considered a “supplement” to their husband’s.

Women have to choose between family and career.

Women should setup before and clean up after office meetings.



So let’s lay it all out there… Men should not take care of sick kids or

handle child care/kids activities. Men don’t make coffee, that is a

woman’s job. Men do not mind traveling as much. Men should be able to work longer hours. Men shouldn’t take sick days. If a man complements a woman at work,

he’s a pervert. Men should do the heavy lifting of things

in the office. Men should put work first.



So let’s lay it all out there… Aggressive men are leaders.

Aggressive women are… Women bosses are “witchy”, think

they have more to prove than a man.

Women are better at office work/menial tasks and men are the decision makers.

Men make better/stronger bosses. Men enjoy challenges. Women

don't.



So let’s lay it all out there… Women are good listeners. Men have no

empathy or compassion. Women are kind. Men are cruel. Women are tactful. Men are blunt. Men are rational. Women are emotional. Women are overly sensitive. Men are pigs. Men gather around the water cooler and

talk sports. Women have a hen party/gossip.

Men are better problem solvers. Women are better listeners.

Women cat fight. Men sulk.



So let’s lay it all out there…

Did we forget anything?



Unconscious but harmless bad behavior

8%

Unconscious bad behavior that colors opinions

44%

Overt bias creating bad

behavior 16%

Overt bias that limits

advancement 32%



Unconscious but harmless bad behavior

8%

Unconscious bad behavior that colors opinions

44%

Overt bias creating bad

behavior 16%

Overt bias that limits

advancement 32%

Top answer among men

57%

Top answer among women

41%


What about the 15% that said no?


What is your experience?

In your workplace, is there an equal opportunity for advancement and compensation for both genders?

Yes 66%

No 15%

I'm not sure 19%



In your workplace, is there an equal opportunity for advancement and compensation for both genders?



Do you see gender imbalance in the various levels of your organization?



Do you see gender imbalance in the various levels of your organization?

“More women then men drop out of the work force (sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently) when kids are young.

Additionally, many C level execs got there by working ridiculous hours over the years, which many working moms simply cannot do.

This puts women behind on the ladder and is one factor for fewer women in the C suite. This is a tough challenge to address.”

– Survey Respondent

Male or Female? Male



Have you personally experienced gender bias? 44% Yes 56% No

10% Yes 90% No

73% Yes 27% No



Have you personally experienced gender bias? Janeen & Rex on the road

• Who gets the meal check? • Driving Miss Daisy



Survey Stories – Unequal Pay (6 similar) “My compensation is 60-65% of my peers.” “A man and I had the same years experience and same education and

he was being paid $10k more than me to do the same job.” “At a couple of jobs, I had a lower salary

than my male counterparts, even though I out performed them. Understood the discrepancy when I started but after consistently out performing my male counter parts, my salary stayed below theirs.”

“Male executive in equal position with less seniority and education having a higher salary and additional perks.”



Survey Stories – Advancement (8 similar) “All administrative assistants are female and given very little path for

advancement.” “I work at a "Man's" Bank. It is present here on a daily basis. The only

way a woman ever gets promoted or compensated is if she is willing to flirt or sleep her way into the fold.”

“Even though I hold a high position, I had to work to get it and most of the women in my office feel as if it is handed out to the men.”

“I have been at my job 17+ years. I am not considered management although I am put in charge whenever anyone is out, I am asked my opinion but never officially made management nor included in meetings. I am unofficially management and told...you are in charge you have been here the longest, but never given the respect of a title of management. It’s definitely a gender thing and its obvious.”



Survey Stories – Won’t Work With Women (6 similar)

“In past positions there have been times when men would go around me to work with another man and ultimately have to come to me as I was the best resource. However I would be the last resort for them.”

“An older man that I had to work with would not deal with me, instead choosing to (try to) work with men who were working under me. It produced serious tension and had to be addressed.”

“Was excluded from business trips overseas because I was the only female.”



Survey Stories – R-E-S-P-E-C-T (7 similar) “One I can think of in particular has a "good ol' boy" mentality. There

have been instances where I very much felt he's speaking "down" to me. Things have improved greatly but gaining the "peer" respect from him was rough.”

“I am often treated as an administrative assistant instead of an equal. With a new male colleague, for example, I can see a noticeable difference in the way he interacts with his male and female coworkers. I can tell that he struggles with me being a senior member of the staff.”

“Men are treated differently in my office, given respect, meetings behind closed doors while the women actually run the office.”

“Having valid issues minimized by management as "emotional" issues.” “It is still difficult to be a strong female without being considered "a

witch."



Survey Stories – Competence “As a female in a industry dominated by men, I frequently feel

challenged to prove that I know and understand technical issues and topics.“

“I worked with a male vice president who has made comments on multiple occasions about "ladies" in management in a derogatory manner. He implied that the Operations area of our organization was performing sub par because they were "a bunch of ladies over there running the show".“

“I believe that women are held to a higher standard by some, in other words if a man made a mistake, it would be overlooked, but a woman making the same mistake would be viewed as deficient.”



Survey Stories – Women’s Work “Man hired for the same position was introduced to the board of

directors not asked to do tasks seen as a woman's work and he was never called dear in a executive meeting.”

“I am asked to do things that men think that women are only able to do. Like make coffee, pick up their mail, run errands.”



Survey Stories – Mom Issues “I was in a heavily male dominated profession and was actually

terminated for not hitting quarterly sales goals (my first time to EVER miss); I had been out for maternity leave. But the industry (and company) was so heavily dominated by men - there wasn't even a policy for pregnant women/maternity leave on the Executive level!? I did sue them, by the way (a multi-billion dollar company) and won! As part of the settlement package, they asked me to return to the company to help design a Maternity program.”

“I was told I am not allowed to work from home unless I get childcare for my 4 year old however my male coworker can work from home with his infant any time he needs.”



Survey Stories – From the Guys “I haven't experienced gender bias as the victim of the bias, but I have

been an observer of what I thought was subtle gender bias. It took the form of a male speaking looking at other males while speaking on a topic, but not making eye contact with the females at the table. It was as if the speaker was addressing only the males as if they were the only ones that would understand. It wasn't even a situation that can be proven to be gender bias, but that's how I interpreted it.”

“I was told that the position needed to be filled by a Hispanic female due to a dominate male workforce and a lack of diversification.”



Your turn! How many of you have experienced bias? Care to share?


Is this a workplace or cultural issue?



Is this problem actually work related? Or is it culture seeping into the workplace?



Is this problem actually work related? Or is it culture seeping into the workplace?

Workplace issue: Women are expected to make the coffee and clean up.

Men are expected to do any heavy lifting.

So tell me this… Who does the heavy lifting at home?

Are you willing to grab a box?


What contributes most to gender bias?


Bias Influencers

Education • Ranked lowest at 9% • Research doesn’t show that education has much effect on bias • The benefits are likely less about education and more about exposure

to new people, places and ideas • Positive impacts to overt bias, but not necessarily unconscious bias


Bias Influencers

Age • Our dads and our sons • “The older generation

looks at the male as the main bread winner where the younger generation think both are. But the older generation is normally the ones making the decisions in companies so their bias shows.” – Survey Respondent

Male or Female? Male


Bias Influencers

Gender • Men ranked this lowest at just 11% • Who do you instinctively think of as more prone to bias?

All Men Women Men 35% 33% 36.5% Women 25% 23% 27% Both Equally 40% 44% 36.5%


Bias Influencers

Gender • Sexual harassment training • Women aren’t blameless


Bias Influencers


Sometimes the quest for

gender equality becomes women against men.


Bias Influencers


..or women against women

“Women need to support and respect one another as much as

men need to stop trying to dominate.”

-Survey Respondent


Bias Influencers

Regional Culture • Dropping doors • Sweetie • Foreign culture influences


Bias Influencers

Upbringing • Highest ranked at 30% • Combines age (19%) and regional culture (25%) • Value systems, religion

• Honor != Inability • A house full of boys…

• We tend to gravitate towards those that think and act like we do


Bias Influencers

“Other” Write-Ins The notion that a certain task is beneath a male I believe the “boys club” still exists in many work places Attractiveness is equally weighted along with education and

skills, partially due to the "Good Ole' Boy" leadership that resides Workplace culture Conditioning of global society Experiences and exposure of those in influence Religious organization, male dominated hierarchy


How to overcome gender issues

Drag it out into the open. Let’s start by

acknowledging that men and women are different. Now let’s acknowledge

that human beings are complex. And finally that

generalizations often miss the mark because we are all INDIVIDUALS.



Like a Snowflake, every situation is different. Personal responsibilities

• Take a breath, think about long term consequences of comments • Give the benefit of the doubt • Easily offended – Right or Wrong

• You don’t have to be wrong to be sorry.

Professional responsibilities • Think about corporate image, culture and precedence concerns • Must have an effective company reporting/response policy • Appropriateness of situation – “Sweetheart”

Tolerance • Honey versus vinegar



Addressing unconscious bias. Start with you

• Assume that you have them. We all do. • Guilty as charged - CEOs and Dads who run carpool • Unconscious bias does not make us bad people. It means that our past

experiences influence our perceptions, attitudes and behaviors. • Commit to becoming more aware of how your behavior affects others • Look beyond the stereotypes to gain a better understanding

Then prove them wrong • Focus on being excellent • They can’t argue with results



Be patient! Don’t rush to judgement!

But don’t overthink!


As a Leader

Leaders lead INDIVIDUALS! #1 - Forget stereotypes & generalizations

• “How to Best Manage Female Employees” • Only Positive Reinforcement • Flexibility on everything • Must have formal development plans • Say what?

You set the tone • Lead by example • Be transparent

Be proactive about giving everyone a voice Hold your team accountable


As a Leader

Leaders lead INDIVIDUALS! Problems with people

• Some challenges may be unique to the individual involved - health • Can’t ignore or over react to such challenges

Problems with policy • Some challenges may be policy issues – Family leave, PTO,

Paternity Leave • Some issues may be misinterpretations of good policies

Personal vs. professional policy • Educate leaders and followers on how to respond to bias concerns • Keep correspondence on company policy in the forefront


As an Employee

Grace in action is such a beautiful thing • Roadhouse – Kirk Russell

• “Be . . . “

Break some bread together – Magic Managers need their mistakes forgiven as well Refuse to engage in gossip regarding other’s concerns Set examples of excellence even beyond policy Remember – People change

• Kids and adults


As an Employee

Questions are often much better than accusations Take an objective, unemotional approach Don’t be afraid to ask for objective guidelines

• Compensation • Criteria for promotion

Don’t be afraid to ask where you missed the guidelines


As a Parent

If biases are learned behavior

And mostly influenced by upbringing

We, as parents, are responsible to influence that change

…one little mind at a time


Q&A

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