Women have fought for rights for many years and seem to have succeeded significantly in this. But even in the XNUMXst century, men earn more and get promoted more often, while at the same time, a potential pregnancy can become a barrier to employment. Social psychologist Tiina Likki tells how a group of scientists tried to restore gender equality in the police.
Once the leadership of the police analyzed the situation in the team for gender equality and came to disappointing conclusions. To analyze the situation, employees who already had children were asked to recall the period of pregnancy. Only 39% of the respondents answered that during this period they felt support from their leaders. 44% of employees received a transfer to other positions after they announced their pregnancy. At the same time, half of them were put before the fact. Only 33% of women answered that they had a conversation with their immediate supervisor about maintaining a work contract for the period of pregnancy.
My colleagues and I were invited to create a more supportive atmosphere for women. Part of that meant working on how managers communicate with and support female employees. We hypothesized that the current situation is the result of stereotypes and prejudices. Perhaps the leaders decided that pregnant employees needed to be protected from the outside world. Maybe they thought that women’s career ambitions would evaporate because of pregnancy.
Gender stereotypes can influence judgment even if we don’t notice it.
As a solution, we tested conversation with a change of perspective. Within its framework, participants need to imagine what others think and feel. In the lab, it helped improve communication, reduce labeling, and increase empathy. We assumed that technology would help improve the situation in the police.
For each line manager, we organized fifteen-minute conversations to get them to imagine what it means to be a pregnant woman. First, they did a little writing exercise to build confidence in the effectiveness of their own actions. As part of the exercise, they recalled and described a situation in which they managed to cope with difficulties and help another person.
They were then presented with a photograph and a brief description of a pregnant police officer named Anna. They were asked to write a few sentences about how they imagine her life, including experiences at work and experiences with other people. Finally, they were asked to write down a few actions they could take to be more supportive and communicate more effectively with female employees.
In an experiment involving more than 3500 managers, we did not notice a positive effect. When it came to offering support options for female employees, line managers who completed the Perspective Change interview performed worse than those who did not.
On the other hand, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. Stereotypes are known for their persistence. This is partly due to the fact that we are not aware of their presence in our thinking. They can influence judgment even if we don’t recognize or realize it. In addition, despite significant progress in equality, they are still alive in the media and entertainment industry. It is very difficult to change people’s conscious and unconscious beliefs about women. Behavioral programs designed for this purpose have limited effect. Most of the training is ineffective. Sometimes they have the opposite effect, especially when the training is coercive and the participants are sent to it against their will.
It’s over, despite the difficulties, there is hope. But to overcome the stereotypes, it is not enough to get rid of them in the head; instead, it is necessary to eradicate the prejudices that underlie systems such as recruitment or student assessment.
The same work results are much more likely to lead to a promotion in men than in women.
Take, for example, the recruitment system. She makes decisions that are not in favor of women, as evidenced by the low proportion of women in top management positions. There is even a dedicated platform that helps remove bias from the hiring decision process. For example, it hides the candidate’s name and other biographical details that could affect the chances of getting an interview.
Systems that influence employee promotion, such as performance appraisals, also need to be overhauled. For example, MIT professor Emilio Castilla found that the same work results are much more likely to promote men than women.
The first step an organization can take is to analyze employee data. Differences in roles, development opportunities, salaries and bonuses, promotions and job security at each level can be explored.
Once an organization has identified potential systemic biases, it can turn to the behavioral sciences. But this is only the beginning. It is important to set measurable goals and evaluate the effectiveness of changes. If an innovation fails, we need to talk about it. To find effective ways to restore gender equality, it is necessary to notice ineffective initiatives and investments.
Source: greatergood.berkeley.edu