International Women’s Day falls on March 8th. This year’s theme, “Break the Bias,” highlights the need for a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, which would strengthen the case for gender equality. Whether deliberate or unconscious, the bias makes it difficult for women to advance in their careers.
It is crucial to recognize that bias is more than an inclination toward prejudice.In the workplace, it is the creation of a system that fails to acknowledge the specific conditions of a particular group while enforcing standardized expectations. Therefore, simply changing the intrinsic tendency to bias will not suffice; action is required to level the playing field.
Cracks discovered during Covid-19.
During the pandemic, the impact of bias was amplified and ultimately revealed faults in the workplace, which eventually caused women to leave their jobs or consider doing so. As reported in a LinkedIn study of 2,000 working professionals in the UAE between the ages of 25 and 55, 52 percent of women said they took on more responsibilities at home during Covid-19 than their partners did. In addition, 43 percent stated they were considering leaving or had already left the workforce. With women taking on more childcare responsibilities and being held to the same standard of performance as men, work circumstances became more challenging for women.
Another report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2020, found that women in managerial positions are 1.5 times more likely to consider downsizing their careers or leaving the workplace due to burnout than men at the same level.
Losing many women in senior roles could have significant financial consequences. In the report, it was also demonstrated that companies that are well represented by women at the top are 50 percent more likely to outperform their competitors. Furthermore, women have an important impact on a company’s culture, as they are more likely than men to adopt employee-friendly policies and embrace racial and gender equality at work. So, due to women leaving the workforce, females at all levels in the workplace may lose their strongest allies.
Is enough being done?
Even though many employers have taken significant measures to support women and their employees in general, such as providing tools and resources to assist employees in working remotely and improving their well-being, fewer companies have taken steps to adjust the expectations that are contributing to employee burnout.
For working mothers, pre-pandemic performance expectations are no longer sustainable. According to the Women in the Workplace 2020 report, less than a third of companies have adjusted their performance review criteria. As a result, women find themselves forced to fall short or strive for unrealistic goals. Even though employers are increasingly reviewing these expectations, there is still a long way to go.
During Covid-19, some of the biases that have plagued women for years have been amplified. This includes prejudiced views towards working mothers taking advantage of flexible work arrangements. The notion that women are less committed to their jobs has been exacerbated as childcare responsibilities have become more visible, such as the appearance of children on a screen when video calling.
Taking appropriate steps.
Companies can introduce bias training to sensitize employees and talk openly about the debilitating effects of bias. To ensure that women are treated equally, it is also vital to track promotions and raises by gender. Companies should also implement policies that support working mothers.
Companies should also ensure that women are aware of the full range of benefits available to them. Research indicates a significant gap between employee benefits and their understanding of what these benefits entail. Essentially, organizations should identify their employees’ most significant challenges and allocate resources to assist them in resolving these challenges. This pandemic has highlighted the importance of revisiting the work structure to ensure rising conflicts do not jeopardize women’s careers. Additionally, it has drawn attention to the fact that women primarily take care of children. As this is changing, employers must ensure that they provide women with the tools to succeed in their careers while respecting their personal responsibilities.
Breaking the bias is therefore essential for the well-being of women and the well-being of society as a whole.