While worldwide female leaders and entrepreneurs are spreading, women in business are still facing several difficulties every day.
Why is that? Gender Biases: Not surprisingly at all, gender biases are still a significant issue for women (and not only) in every kind of industry. Bias has been defined as “a particular tendency or inclination, especially one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question.” Specifically, gender bias refers to the preferential treatment men receive. It’s often labeled “sexism” and describes the prejudice against women solely based on their sex. What are the many faces of gender biases in an organizational environment? It can become Performance support bias when managers and colleagues provide more resources and opportunities to one gender (typically men) over another; Performance review bias occurs when employers, managers, and colleagues review an employee of one gender differently from another gender — even when the evaluations are purely merit-based. Finally, performance reward bias occurs when employers, managers, and colleagues reward an employee of one gender differently from another gender. Sounds familiar? Responsibility and Social Expectations How often have you heard about successful women who had to leave their careers to meet social expectations? I’ve heard this story many times. But, unfortunately, we still live in a society where a man is most valued for being honest and moral. Yet, when it comes to what society values most in women, traits associated with one’s physical appearance are among the most often mentioned, followed by being nurturing and empathetic and being a parent or caregiver. Diffidence If you search on google “career woman,” you’ll notice soon enough that the related searches are “career woman is a negative word” or “career woman vs. family woman”…WTF? Historically women that achieve in their career are seen as arrogant and self-centered. Research has demonstrated how typically women are reluctant to talk about their achievements in every field because society disapproves of women who are perceived to be bragging about themselves and praises modesty. A Piece of advice? Stop being modest and start being comfortable with your success! What can we do to help? Of course, we can support other women. This could seem like an insignificant thing to do, but it can have a considerable effect. And never stop telling success stories about women and their impact on their communities and organizations! Biography: Ross, Howard J. Everyday Bias (p. 32). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Kindle Edition. https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/five-biggest-challenges-that-women-have-to-overcome-in-entrepreneurship/ https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2017/12/05/americans-see-different-expectations-for-men-and-women/ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/326531
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