Organizations have been working on gender stereotypes for many decades. They have invested resources in the career development of women. They have even conducted prejudice recognition training within the workplaces. Front runners, including many CEOs, are publicly committed to making the workplace more equitable. Despite this, the progress toward gender equality has been slow. Many managers find it difficult to recognize gender inequality in their daily interactions at work.
Despite significant progress in gender equality over the last few decades, it has still been slow. According to Kelan (2020), one of the reasons for this could be that many managers are aware of bias in general, but not in their normal day-to-day interactions at the workplace. This “gender fatigue” indicates that people are unwilling to change their workplace. Kelan (2020) identified some rationalizations used by managers to deny gender inequality through ethnographic research and cross-industry interviews. First, they assume that it occurs elsewhere, such as in a competitor’s organization, but not by themselves. Second, they trust that gender inequality, at the same time as it existed within the past, is now not a problem. Thirdly, they cite initiatives to assist women as proof that the imbalance has been corrected. Finally, when they witness discrimination, they claim that it has nothing to do with gender. People cannot move forward unless they admit that their organization is not unequal.
Gender stereotyping is the accumulation of minor incidents over time. Insignificant events are frequently regarded as minor annoyances that have no bearing on the big picture. Furthermore, gender fatigue keeps on obscuring these everyday occurrences. Managers must reframe inequality as a learning opportunity rather than a practice of blaming. Instead of feeling guilty about people using exclusive methods (including themselves), they should think creatively about how they can do things differently. Making a written record of what they have observed encourages introspection. They must assist others (both male and female) in recognizing gender inequality. Many women develop sophisticated coping mechanisms to ignore gender roles in the workplace, leading them to believe they have not experienced inequality. Similarly, male coworkers may be unaware of the daily practices that contribute to imbalance. Therefore, when leaders become aware of gender stereotypes, they need to warn others and take corrective action.
Reference
Kelan, E. (2020). Why Aren’t We Making More Progress Towards Gender Equity? Harvard Business Review. Web.