“An insight into prejudices women carry”
Yes, prejudice and discrimination do exist at modern workplace. Yes, as a female employee, the likelihood of experiencing those is more. Prejudice is an unjustified or fallacious attitude (usually negative) towards an individual. Interestingly though, many a time the person facing prejudice unconsciously displays attributes that encourage such behavior towards her. For most women it’s quite easy to pigeonhole that everything unfair in her organization is because of circumstances and existing bias, that is, factors outside of her. It’s time, however, to shine some light inside and ferret the prejudices and biases that women have!
Hungry Kya? Not Really
Would you bet on a team in a match where the team is very good but does not have the desire or belief to win? Or does not show the hunger to win the match? A logical thinking brain would say ‘No’. A McKinsey’s study Women Matter and related research does not show that women lack the ambition to get to the top. But it concludes that women’s approach to the workplace in general, and to leadership in particular, can have the superficial appearance of a lack of ambition. It is this appearance that creates perceptions and prejudice in management decisions while accelerating (or not) women to leadership positions.
Personal Baggage in Office
While coaching and mentoring women (in senior leadership roles as well), many of my conversations start and end with their personal commitments. This ‘forwards’ a signal (which is not always the true picture) that work takes a secondary position in their lives. Women need to be consciously professional in their conversations in an official setup. Bosses/ mentors/sponsors, irrespective of their gender, get jittery about women who cannot draw a line between personal and professional space.
We are Too Touchy
While working on a recent project on women leadership, every manager I spoke to (man or woman) said that it was very difficult to have tough conversations with women. They become too emotional and personal about the feedback. Most of the times it deprives women of opportunities of being corrected, being pushed or being mentored. How do we expect to advance without the right inputs?
Biased Behavior by Women
No, it’s not a stereotype. We would think that people with a background of being discriminated against in the workplace might show greater empathy for those sailing in the same ship. Research confirms exactly the opposite. Women are just as likely biased as men towards women in hiring practices, salaries and professional mentorship. This not only reinforces discrimination and prejudice, it also reinforces such behavior amongst our men colleagues. Come on, let’s be sensitive and conscious of our own actions before we expect the same from the environment.
We Love our Silos
It’s natural to form homogeneous groups. We all do that. However, forming silos at workplace alienates us from the majority. It also creates stereotypes. Stereotypes lead to prejudices. Of course, go ahead, hangout in your own comfort groups but please make a conscious effort to include your male colleagues.
“By sheer virtue of numbers, we fall in the minority but let that not stop us from picking up the baton and driving an inclusive environment at workplace. Let’s begin with ourselves. Let’s first look inside to leap forward!”
