Community Conversations: Women & the World of Work

Last month, during our World of Work-themed Happy Hour, we got to chat with our community about issues pertaining to what kinds of barriers or issues women face when it comes to entering or being in the workforce. Our Mentors, Rising Stars and Programme Participants discussed what those barriers are and how they affect the bias and treatment of women once they enter the workforce.?Here are some points on some of the barriers face:

Entering the Workforce

Upon entering the workforce, a lot of women don’t apply for a job unless they fully believe that they are qualified for the position. Compared to men that are usually more confident in applying for jobs whether or not they believe they are actually qualified.

Women also have a hard time negotiating salaries and job role descriptions because stereotypes attached to their abilities make it harder for them to be treated equally as compared to a male applicant. Deciding on a job is also a lot harder as the majority of women need to be able to consider flexible working arrangements such as being able to work from home, maternity leave, or the ease of being able to take care of their family while working.?

Working Within the Field

A lot of the stereotypes attached to women within the workforce come from their emotional capabilities and at times natural caring personalities. For this reason, women are less respected in the workplace even when they are in leadership positions. Mistakes are also less likely to be treated as learning opportunities and more like a lack of competency.

The work/life balance is affected more especially for women that are mothers or caregivers as traditional stereotypes deem women as not being truly dedicated or focused on their jobs if they have a family to take care of.?

What Can We Do?

• Positive work cultures all begin at the hiring stage.?

The practice of feminist leadership emplores organisations and businesses to advertise their salaries and create clear working expectations when sharing a job position advertisement. This makes it easier for women to understand their roles and just how much they can offer you or how much you can offer them. Not only does this practice set clear expectations from your applicants but it also lower costs in hiring and talent development in the long run.?

• Create more flexibility.

Flexibility can come in the form of providing working mothers an extra thirty minutes off in the morning to drop off their children at school or giving employees the option to work from home on days when they aren't able to physically get to work. Creating more flexibility allows employees to feel less restricted in how or where they do their work.?

Setting an example of healthy work/life balances throughout management emphasises to employees what their expectations are, and allows them to set realistic priorities for their personal and professional lives.?

• Consider women's other identities.

While creating policies, look beyond gender and consider the differences in what a single mother might need versus a married mother. Factors like immigration status, marital status, race, culture and mobility all affect women differently and should be addressed when creating more inclusive policies.

Increasing diversity while hiring is another way to strengthen the conversation around gender equality and inclusion. Different voices at the table bring across different issues that may not have been thought about before or might have been looked over. Feminist leadership is all about inclusivity and intersectionality. At its core, it recognizes that all humans are from different walks of life and should be taken into consideration when making decisions. Practising this form of leadership creates a safer and more inclusive workplace. Policies such as both maternity and paternity leave are just one of the examples that enforce a more supportive working environment

• Reviewing pay and benefits

Basing pay strictly on hierarchy and not supposed ‘skill set’ or ‘experience’. closes the wage gap by making it less likely for a man to be able to be paid more than his female colleague in the same position. It is also incredibly important to be consistent in the benefits offered to employees.

• Invest in education around women's issues and gender equality

One of the biggest issues that our community mentioned was the lack of mentorship opportunities and as it is known, the more we learn the better we are at doing things. Workshops, seminars or different forms of personal development not only benefit management but also employees in better understanding of how gender biases can be easily instilled in the workplace. While we work towards our goal of a world where half of all leaders are women, we need to understand the critical role that education and mentorship play in being able to get there. Guidance in career paths and plans is one of the most important factors in building confidence for future leaders. Creating a support system for women within educational institutions and workplaces is one of the greatest ways that we can work together toward building a more gender-equal future.

For example, one of our Rising Stars from Bangladesh, Nujhat was able to successfully shift her career path with help from her mentor. She was able to learn more about leadership skills and how to find the right jobs in the right areas. Receiving guidance from someone who has been through a similar path as you have, makes it easier for women to reach leadership roles because of that support.?

While we work on creating a better working environment for women across the world of work, you can take the time to make an impact on a young women leader’s journey by becoming a mentor. Visit weduglobal.org/mentor/ for more information. You can also gain access to mentorship, education funding and more by applying to become a Rising Star here