More women than men are employed in the UK labour market. However, the Gender Pay Gap illustrates the persistent inequality in women and men’s pay. Organisations have a pivotal role to play in addressing this. Structural inequalities perpetuate the imbalance. Seismic shift is needed to achieve anywhere close to 50%.
However, individually we can all play a role in helping to achieve gender equity. People, after all, contribute to organisational culture and behaviours. While companies need to lead from the front with more than just good intentions and a set of aspirational metrics, it’s the actions of us all that will contribute. What can each of us do to support our female colleagues?
We all carry unconscious biases. Being aware of these and taking care not to default to making incorrect and lazy assumptions because of them is key. Mary Ann Sieghart in The Authority Gap suggests we check in with ourselves in order to keep our biases in check. Sieghart says we can do this by:
- Not assuming that a woman we meet is less knowledgeable or competent than a man.
- Noticing, when we meet a man and woman, whether we automatically greet the man first
- Checking whether we interrupt female colleagues more often than males
- If we find a competent woman unlikeable, asking ourselves why. Would we feel the same about a man?
- Not regarding confidence as competence. He who speaks loudest is often simply loud
- Not judging a woman on her appearance or pitch of her voice
Speaking up
We can all learn a great deal by sitting and observing what’s going on in a room. Keep a note of who speaks most in meetings. Is the time apportioned equally to everyone around the table? Who is interrupting or talking over others?*
*For a tongue-in-cheek activity and to test this out, see also ‘Men: Know your Place.’
Gill Whitty Collins in Why Men Win at Work says ‘be the person in the meeting who speaks up for women. Call out other men when they are being sexist/interrupting/using ‘banter.’ Simply saying ‘that’s not cool’ is hugely supportive.’
If you become known for supporting women as well as men, you may find yourself attracting female talent to your team. I know of one (male) Head of Department who actively championed an extensive in-house female development programme. This has been enthusiastically received by participants. Other managers have noticed.
Women can be critical of other women. This hurts all women. Don’t pull the ladder up after you and deny other women opportunities to progress. Be generous with your time and support less experienced colleagues.
Being inclusive
Social activities can be a good way to get to know colleagues better and make everyone feel included. If these are scheduled outside work, be sensitive to others’ commitments in order that everyone is able to take part. This fosters a more genuine sense of belonging for all. A heavy drinking culture may automatically exclude some team members. Late nights won’t be possible for those with caring commitments. Sport and physical activity is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Become a mentor
Mentoring is a great way to support and encourage less experienced female staff. Invariably the mentor gains just as much from the relationship as the mentee, with both parties learning from one another.
Educate yourself
Take the time to understand the issues facing women in the workplace. The two books referenced above are a great starting point.
The difference between equity and equality is that equality everyone gets the same thing and equity is everyone gets the things they deserve. DeRay McKesson
