Every International Women's Day, workplaces burst with purple cupcakes, celebratory social posts, guest speakers and decorations, all in the name of gender equality.
But, if you listen closely, there's a growing frustration among many—women and men alike—over the ‘corporate purple-washing' that merely skirts around the real issues.
This article explores how genuine progress in gender equality can be made by cultivating an inclusive culture.
The stats speak for themselves
Whether you’re in the UK, the US, Chile, Australia, or anywhere else, progress towards gender equality is painfully slow and sometimes non-existent.
A new World Bank report shows the global gender gap is significantly wider than previously thought, factoring in childcare and safety for the first time, with women earning only 77% of what men make on average. And that’s not even accounting for race, disability, or other discrimination.
This report adds to existing global research on workplace issues like sexual harassment, the parenthood penalty, menopause discrimination, barriers to senior positions, gendered stereotypes, underrepresentation in leadership, gender bias in performance evaluations, and pension disparities.
For example, a 2022 UK survey of 2,000 employees, found women are:
asked to make tea or coffee almost three times (42%) more than men (16%)
more than twice as likely than men (50% vs 21%) to be asked about the wellbeing of their children
twice as likely to be asked to do menial or admin-based tasks (37% vs 19%)
the target of sexist jokes almost three times more than men (43% vs 15%)
The temptation is often to throw money at inequality
Consider the tech industry, which has aimed to increase women's representation in tech roles, achieving some progress. In the US, female tech workers increased from 31% in 2019 to 35% by 2023, and in the EU, from 23% to 25.2% post-pandemic, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and Eurostat respectively.
However, other reports suggest that firms struggle to retain women with 50% leaving tech by age 35, compared to 20% in other fields. Also, despite men being the vast majority in tech, women formed over half of the layoffs during 2022 and 2023 (56% female, 43.8% male, and 0.2% preferring the pronouns they/them).
Shifting focus to actionable solutions
Addressing these challenges requires more than quotas; it demands a culture change. Creating an environment where everyone feels valued and supported is key, alongside a strong sense of togetherness.
Behavioural science research points to a four-cornerstone approach to effective cultural transformation:
From 'them and us' to 'headwinds and tailwinds'
You've likely heard the refrain, 'We can’t say anything these days,' as many shy away from discussing DEI, worried about misspeaking.
To address this, why not shift the conversation towards 'headwinds' and 'tailwinds'? Talking about our challenges ('headwinds') and the support we've received ('tailwinds') not only invites more people into the dialogue but also fosters empathy and eases concerns.
This approach naturally progresses to asking how we can leverage our own 'tailwinds' to support one another.
Broaden the responsibility to speak up
The emphasis is often on women or marginalised groups to advocate for themselves for fair pay and better conditions. However, real change comes from enabling everyone to address exclusion and discrimination actively.
A study published in the Harvard Business Review highlights that organisations with men actively participating in gender equality efforts see a 98% success rate, versus 30% in those that don't involve men as much.
Focus on improving judgement, rather than unconscious bias training
A study over 30 years involving 700 organisations, found that Black men and women were less likely to advance over time in companies where unconscious bias training was used. Researchers suggest this is because it often results in backlash from participants, making them less open to DEI.
Instead, employers are better advised to teach people how to identify biases and stereotypes in their thought processes and provide clear strategies to counteract these influences.
Know when to forbid or forgive
Striking a balance between strict policy enforcement and understanding fosters a supportive and forward-thinking workplace culture. Employers can address this by clearly defining what's acceptable while also recognising that honest mistakes offer opportunities for improvement.
Wondering how to ignite inclusion?
The strategies used by most companies today to improve DE&I fail to produce the desired results. In fact, some of the approaches being implemented to bring people together are actually driving them further apart.
Learn a method scientifically proven to bring people together and increase performance by downloading our Inclusion Solution whitepaper.
