“Challenging stereotypes and prejudices”: Men are from Mars, women are from Venus and all of them deserve a place under the sun.

“Women are very emotional”/” Men are more assertive”/” Women are tenderer”/” Men are better leaders”/”Women don′t drive well(are not good conductors)”/”Men are not able to take care of a kid, they don′t know how to do the laundry or take care of the chores”/”Women are kinder, they are multitask, they know how to clean a house, they know how to work hard and they are the queens of home, always with perfection.”

You may have already heard those phrases several times or even, you may have already said some of them...

So, which stereotypes do you believe in?

Well, those gender declarations are part of our daily basis vocabulary. Thought patterns, suppositions and interpretations - or #prejudices - built throughout time, help us to process information faster and efficiently. However, in business the #bias can be expensive. It may lead us to take less objective decisions, loosing opportunities.

The reality is that prejudices can affect the processes of making decisions in several different ways.

Take a look at this video:

The way women are noticed, the way they dress, they speak, their presence in the work environment, their capacity to impose themselves and their style of leadership have been studied in order to progress on their careers and arrive at the top.

The demand for training to develop leaders, experts and voice instructors, image consulting, instructors that speak in public and branding experts is bigger and bigger. The assumption is that women are not taught to compete or have success in the men′s world, so they need to learn the abilities and styles that their male colleagues naturally develop.

It′s a daily battle to conquer space, to be respected and be admired. After all, in this context, women are taught to minimize femininity, mitigate their strong demanding style, or try to find a perfect balance between them. On the other hand, the excess of self-demand and the excess of investment of time and energy in the image significantly reduce the emotional and motivational resources.

Seeing your potential and real beauty

The fact is that women face an unequal game and see their workplace in a different way. Studies show that women receive less support from their leaders, they have less access to them and face a daily basis discrimination and still suffer with sexual and moral harassment for being in a male environment.

To start a real process of change, women need to look inside themselves and be far from damaging beliefs. Suppositions are internal, come from inside of us, and before changing the culture of a company, they need to be comprehended.

However, instead of reinforcing the gender stereotypes, either rejecting approaches based on typically male stereotypes because they don′t feel authentic, or rejecting typically female stereotypes for being afraid to transmit incompetence, it′s important to women to position and redirect their attention to shared targets, and consider “who they need to be” and “what they need to learn” in order to reach their objectives. Practicing leadership with a proposal, releasing their potential. 

Because of that, I invite you to reflect about how you see yourself and how others see you...

It′s not about men and women, its about all of us!” Walk the talk” – When women succeed, men succeed too.

Maybe you don′t know how, however, give the first step and question yourself, always!!!Which specific actions can you take to be a change agent at your home, at your job, on the street?

In order to change our collective thought, we need to share responsibilities. It′s necessary to start from us. Do your best. Listen to your instincts. Be an example, ”walk the talk” and adopt concrete ways to act.

1) Self-knowledge - Evaluate yourself! If we don′t deconstruct your own prejudice, we   wouldn′t be change agents. Observe your attitudes and actions.

2) Train your ears – Observe the comments and between the lines. What do they want to say? Do they perpetuate gender stereotypes? How do you describe women′s and men′s behavior at work?

3) Support women′s efforts to set gender stereotypes free. Make observations during the meetings, tasks and teamwork. Do women talk as much as men? Do people usually agree more with men′s opposition when the ideas come from women?

4) Keep the dialogue open. Try to acquire knowledge and guide situations in which the gender bias is obvious. The tension is on at every work places, and emotions can get out of control when we witness or we are “victims” of gender comments. How you deal with this situation is a very important part of the transformation and change process. You can′t change the prejudice of others, but you can control your reactions towards them.

What is your role in this world?

About the author

Patrícia Corrêa Balan Abdalla - graduated in Mechanical Engineering, currently at the position of Latin America Dealer Network Development Manager at Thermo King. My professional trajectory in the company started as an Application Engineering for Latin America in 2006. My professional trajectory is moved by the desire of causing impact in the market where I work and build a valuable relationship with people around me. I believe that building a progressive, diversified and inclusive environment is essential to be an innovative and cutting-edge leader in the market.

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