Let’s #BreakTheBias.
International Women’s Day falls on March 8th this year. “Gender Equality Today For a Sustainable Tomorrow” is the theme for the UN’s International Women’s Day celebration on March 8th; but what does that theme actually entail?
Although people are able to consciously recognize their thoughts & behaviours, personal biases may be consciously or unconsciously learned. These personal biases can cause various inequities and oppressive actions in many areas in the world.
Sexism (a bias favouring males) is still a prevalent issue in the 21st century. There are still large amounts of women who face to socioeconomic inequality, discrimination, violence, & objectification, which cause both mental and physical harm.
Integrated gender bias
A 2020 UN report revealed that almost 90% of people have a bias against women.
The “Gender Social Norms” index analyzed gender biases in areas such as politics & education in 75 countries. Globally, approximately 50% of men said they believed they had more right to a job than a woman would, & almost a third of respondents thought it was acceptable for men to hit their partners.
The study also concluded that to this day, there are no countries in the world with complete gender equality.
So, I pose the question: How can we mitigate gender biases against women, from all individuals?
5 ways to continue improving gender equality
From a statistical standpoint, it’s been concluded that improvements in gender equality improve national and international society by stimulating economic growth, This is especially important in countries with higher unemployment rates.
While society has tried to integrate women into society, (& the positive effects are slowly starting to show), there is more that we can do in our daily lives in order to continuously show support for the women around us.
Here are 5 ways that we can continue to improve gender equality today, in order for a sustainable tomorrow:
- Hire diverse
A study by the Boston Consulting Group, & involving 1,700 companies from eight countries, showed that the more diverse the workforce, the better the company’s performance on measures related to innovation. The survey indicated that an increase of only 2.5 percent of women in a team of managers can increase innovation revenues by 1 percent.
This goes to show us that once you remove names, & you wait until the person walks into the room, you know that you are truly being equitable across the table & actively practicing gender equality.
2. Demand same salary pay for all workers
According to research conducted by the UN, for every dollar a man receives, women earn an average of 70-90 cents. With this being said, it is important to fight for & support companies that offer an equal salary to all genders.
Mobilizing resources & contacts to request, or ask for an equal pay audit, is extremely important in order to continue changing the gender equality game. Mobilizing resources & contacts to request, or ask for equal pay has already happened in some companies in the United States, United Kingdom & other European countries, & it is an action which we need to see continue.
3. Zero tolerance policies in workplaces for sexual harassment and sexism
Employees, specifically female employees (and employers!) should have a safe channel to report any type of harassment, without simply being dismissed, & all proven cases should be punished.
4. Provide anti-bias training in workplaces
Biases can take place in the form of microaggressions, which are jokes or comments made without harmful intent, but still illustrate a bias against certain marginalized communities.
One way to help minimize microaggressions is to implement equity, diversity, and inclusion training for all employees.
April Reign, a media strategist & advocate for diversity & inclusion – who is known for creating the movement #OscarsSoWhite – states: “When we talk about anti-bias training, it has to start from the top down, not just the CEO or the board saying ‘okay we are going to pay for that,’ but they need to be in attendance as well.”
5. Listen
The manner in which we manage our biases by listening to and reflecting on them is important, because it provides a foundation for us to take action to actively dismantle those biases. Pay attention to your assumptions & know that none of us are immune to making bigoted comments or holding biased attitudes. When someone points out something problematic in your speech, listen & reflect on it.
Let’s #BreakTheBias not only this International Women’s Day, but in the future as well.