I find comfort in these movements, and feel supported by other women who are feeling just like me—that’s the way I deal with it, since it’s a proactive and simple way to express my thoughts and advocate for others.“ –Taylor, 24, West Milford, NJ, He said, ‘Why don’t you just stand there and look pretty?’, “I was photographing my close friends’ wedding and this guy who is supposed to be my friend is also a photographer. On a more positive note, I love the fact that social media has the power to bring women together and really give us a larger, stronger voice against sexist men and women alike, and sexist acts in general—especially with movements dominated by awesome and attention-grabbing hashtags like #RedMyLips. To tackle this tricky aspect of gender bias, the best place to start is by taking a test on the Project Implicit website to see what your own unconscious biases are. Hillary Clinton kept her cool throughout the most brutal campaign in living memory and some people still didn’t think she had enough stamina. During the First World War, it became clear women were ready to take charge of their lives. We’re a very progressive company, however, so I find the sexism to be more subtle. Work is a bit more tricky. Embed it in your company objectives, report on your progress at every company meeting, and update people on it in newsletters, reports, Slack channels, and whatever other communication methods your company uses. So many initiatives in the corporate world come and go, and employees can sometimes become skeptical about the latest big initiative they hear about. These are the ideas we’ve picked up over the years from family, friends or the broader society, the mental shortcuts that help us to make quick judgments and decisions. Get out there and use it! I hope this has convinced you (if you even needed convincing) that gender bias is something your organisation needs to tackle. Misogyny is, depressingly, inescapable—but its ubiquity doesn’t mean we should brush it off as old news. Other studies discovered that both men and women label angry female professionals as lower status than equivalent angry male professionals. Summer is in full swing for everyone north of the equator, with all its familiar blessings - amazing sunsets, patio drinks, and beach bodies. I feel so lucky to be in a relationship that is overtly feminist and allows me to be myself and pursue my ambitions. How to Overcome the Gender Pay Gap and Other Pay Equity Problems in Your Business, How to Achieve Gender Equality in Your Business, What Is Diversity & Inclusion Training? Upon graduating, he received a job offer from the female CEO of the company that was substantially larger than my salary. For more details and ideas, see this post from International Women’s Day 2017: Employees pay attention to what’s going on at the top of the company. The truth about sexism in the church needs to be heard, it needs to be told, and it needs to be called out. Visit the International Women's Day website for more resources to help you learn and plan to take action. Don’t passively allow the women on your team to get screwed over. I think media has a lot to do with sexism’s presence and growth, especially when leaders, celebrities, and other people of power have the ability to express extremely discriminatory, derogatory and hurtful comments and actions against women. © 2020 Envato Pty Ltd. Updated September 18, 2020. You also need people to do things like: A good training program can do all of that and much more. If we don’t hold others accountable for their actions, we allow abusers to defend and continue the same behaviour. If you want to remove gender bias, then, look at adopting more flexible working arrangements in your business. So, we can all pat ourselves on the back and forget about gender bias now, right? And 40 to 50% of EU women have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. I wanted to find out what scarring or subtle displays of sexism plague the women I know. Legislation has been passed, working conditions have improved, and women’s representation in senior business roles has been increasing. If we had more female representation in government, I believe they would understand that walking 10 minutes in an unpopulated, dark road makes a woman’s heart rate triple. 22 Ways To Overcome Gender Stereotypes. Although overt sexual harassment is still a real problem, many women grapple with … “I’ve encountered sexism in so many capacities that I handle each situation differently, and it almost always depends on my level of safety. If I’m being sexually harassed on the street and it’s during the day, I’m more apt to turn around and walk up to the guy and ask him why he thought it was appropriate to yell something in my general direction or smack his lips at me as though I’m a dog. I’m trying to focus less on the injustices I experience as a relatively privileged straight white woman and figure out ways I can support women with fewer options and more barriers. So, learn about the subject and be conscious of the language you use while talking to employees, presenting to clients, writing emails, and so on. Look at your own company: what are the levels of representation like? In this article, we’ll take a look at a small sample of the many women who are making an impact in various tech industry positions. 43% of women report being sexually harassed in their workplace, Nettie Stevens and the Trouble With Women, A Scientific Deconstruction of Leonardo DiCaprio's Visage: A Study in Facial Attractiveness. When this happens, I usually just raise my eyebrows and try to exude strength and confidence. Share your advice or experience in the Facebook comments below. If you’re a man, consider your own biases. And, if you’re like me, most of your time spent in the summer sun is accompanied by with one prevailing thought: “Oh God, how long before I get skin cancer? If they need to get their attention, they should just say ‘excuse me. Not too long ago, people believed the female brain was incapable of refined opinions or serious and complex thought. Think about how often you’ve heard “my boss is such a bitch”. (Source: Studies have found that “women who promote themselves are seen as violating modesty and therefore less hirable, women who negotiate for higher pay are seen as violating passivity, and women expressing anger are seen as violating warmth.” (Source: Women earn on average 13.8% less than men across OECD countries. As in most every other subset of the world's collective culture, women in music are rising to prominence more and more. Having documentation describing exactly what kind of behaviour is expected and what kind of behaviour won’t be tolerated is crucial. “Personally, I have never felt terribly affected by sexism, although I realize everyone has their own unique experiences. For a start, it’s a great way of equalising promotion opportunities and creating better career opportunities for women. To support that theme, we’re going to look at how to overcome gender bias in the workplace, since that’s a key step in achieving balance. If you need some more inspiration, check out this video celebrating the achievements of working women: Leave a comment below to let us know what you plan to do to tackle gender bias in your business, or what else you are doing to mark International Women’s Day. I’ve entered the no fucks era of my relationship with sexism. Thereafter, the opportunity for misconduct grew tenfold. Then, we are expected not to complain when we are discredited. I’m a human geneticist and work in academia, so people are pretty progressive and I don’t generally experience much sexism in the workplace. Their findings were consistent regardless of their actual status. Women are guilty of gender double standards, too. But during the beginning of the shoot, he looked at me and said, ‘, Why don’t you just stand there and look pretty?’ in the most condescending and rude way. Don’t join in to impress the guys or be afraid of getting backlash for speaking up. Women are also thrust into the spotlight and forced to publicly re-live a traumatic experience. A policy is great, but you need people to read and understand it. This stigma continues today through the familiar phrase, “bitchz b cray“. I used to swallow the insult, but now I’m okay with making others feel uncomfortable. What that looks like may vary from company to company, but it could include things like: As a bonus, flexible working arrangements tend to be popular with all employees, not just women. Creating an anti-discrimination policy doesn’t prevent gender bias, but it certainly helps. Then you can work to tackle those biases and to help others within your company do the same. Courts only recognized sexual harassment in the workplace for the first time in 1977. Living high in the mountains, they can leap onto mountain ledges just 2 inches wide. Why not celebrate International Women’s Day yourself by picking just one item from the list and taking action on it right away? I didn’t mention it again because the groom was there and it was his big day, so I’m didn’t want to ruin it for him. Women are also more than twice as likely to experience unwanted sexual contact while at work. I didn’t mention it again because the groom was there and it was his big day, so I’m didn’t want to ruin it for him. So, look for ways to provide protection and help your employees to feel safe and confident enough to report any cases of gender bias that they experience. Published by Emily Johnson on November 27, 2017 November 27, 2017 For centuries, the pinnacle of success for women was to be a wife, a mother and a “nice lady”. Through design,... What is imposter syndrome? Andrew Blackman is a copy editor for Envato Tuts+ and writes for the Business section. He maintains a popular blog about writing and books. From playfully bigoted "jokes" to certain phrases that just have a chauvinistic air about them, here's how nine strong, smart women handle everyday sexism. As the long struggle towards equality continues, new issues come to the fore. So we may support gender parity in our conscious minds, while holding a set of unconscious assumptions that lead us to act in ways that undermine that very goal. Unfortunately, sexism is very much our present. Design, code, video editing, business, and much more. I try not to let little things slip by. “It kills me when someone implies that I should or shouldn’t do something based on a man’s opinion. If you want to be successful, you’ll need to make gender equality a priority over a long period of time and communicate that fact to your employees at every opportunity. And all the groomsmen’s eyes got wide in shock. Women don’t even have to be angry to be called angry. . In Canada, 43% of women report being sexually harassed in their workplace. To celebrate the centenary of the British suffrage movement, here we’ll look at the influence of women on graphic design, decorative arts and digital... Today is International Women’s Day, and this year's theme is “Be Bold for Change.” Learn what steps you can take to achieve gender equality in the workplace. I read this literature for a living. And any man who says, ‘But if a woman did [insert harassment here] it would be totally fine,’ doesn’t understand the implicit power dynamic that men still have over women in our society.” –Lauren, 29, New York City. By: Ashley Brown. Don’t believe me? +Top Strategies to Help Avoid It. Everything you need for your next creative project. If you don’t already track the gender breakdown of your new hires, start doing it now—and go back and do it retrospectively for the last few years if possible. As I learned about these majestic animals, I kept having the same thought: