Commentary: Address our bias in the pursuit of gender equality
SINGAPORE: International Women's Twenty-four hour period - a day to gloat all women in our globe, as well as a day to strive towards their protection and equal rights.
While it's a nice thought and a busy month for companies embracing diversity and inclusion, I honestly notice it disappointing that guild needs a day to remember gender equality and the fair treatment of women.
Gender equality is not only a meaning business from a human rights standpoint, but will allow for the economic and political growth that developing nations demand to make them competitive in world markets.
It makes sense – if women and girls tin proceeds access to improved education, they volition somewhen become improve jobs and exist able to better contribute to the economy.
By the same token, including women in political decision-making leads to more constructive governance, since women's presence in government brings greater diversity and dissimilar experience to the process.
Indeed, with the heightened awareness of the benefits of gender equality around the world, why are there notwithstanding obstacles to achieving equality? Closer to abode, why is in that location still a gender pay gap and a dismal percentage of female person representation on boards?
Take for example the percentage of women directors at all companies listed on the Singapore Exchange which has remained relatively unchanged over the past few years, hovering between 8 to 10 per cent.
Other major international upper-case letter markets accept higher rates of 27.2 per cent in Germany, 27 per cent in the UK, 20 per cent in the United states of america and 15 per cent in Hong Kong.
Promoting equal opportunities is difficult piece of work. From a decade of working in this area, I am enlightened it is frequently greeted with suspicion, defensiveness and overwhelming ennui.
In that location is resistance – implicit, explicit and institutional resistance when information technology comes to gender equality.
Where many say our meritocratic organization should atomic number 82 to equal benefits for equal merit, and point to a few women in positions of power, studies accept shown systemic biases in recruiting, promotions and pay persist - leading to less female candidates getting the job or seeing the aforementioned salary growth every bit their male counterparts over time, all things beingness equal.
The issue is about the cause as much as it is the symptoms that are profoundly disturbing.
If women now have a huge opportunity to succeed, why are they still largely invisible at the elevation table?
READ: A commentary on it notwithstanding beingness a man's world, despite progress made by women in Singapore.
'NOTHING STOPPING YOU'
My female parent, a retired school teacher in one case told me: "In that location is nothing to cease you being whoever or any you want to be. The only thing stopping y'all is yous." For this, I am eternally grateful.
Yet, fifty-fifty from early childhood teaching, each gender is conditioned from an early age to behave in different ways.
We train our girls to work hard and go Every bit. When they go into an organisation, women keep to piece of work difficult, they do well and they wait to be picked for the next role.
Basic anthropology tells us that groups tend to recruit new members who are similar to themselves. So a predominantly male field volition often choose a male candidate – and research bears this out.
This is an influential gene in why women are significantly underrepresented in traditionally male-dominated areas, and senior positions.
READ:A commentary on whether women tin can still "have it all".
As a hiring manager, I take interviewed enough candidates to know that women "get stuck waiting to exist picked" while men volition say "pick me, choice me", even if they are not quite up to scratch.
Generally speaking, if a homo has got 40 per cent of what it takes to practice a job, he knows he'due south prepare. But a adult female will look until she's pretty perfect then think: "Am I ready for this?"
Nosotros demand to actively tackle this prevalent, insidious mindset. Nosotros need to change how girls, families and society imagine what girls can exist and tin can do. We need to give girls images and role models that expand their dreams.
We as well need parents to encounter there really are opportunities for their daughters, that their only security is non just to exist good wives and mothers, much as there is nix wrong if that's what they want.
Women as well need to build their confidence and go for it - and haul another adult female up with them.
CHALLENGING OUR Own BIAS
In order to overcome gender inequality we must address our own bias. Gender related bias that hold women dorsum tin can include outright bigotry, the normalisation of everyday sexism, to deep-rooted unconscious attitudes.
From the classroom to the boardrooms – at an early age, nosotros are conditioned to believe that girls are this way and boys are that fashion. Women should be warm and not-confrontational; men competent get-getters.
It'south well-nigh challenging these "natural" thoughts by examining, questioning and having open conversations.
Changing our bias in recruiting is integral, and admitting our own bias is an important pace to a more open, diverse and fair workplace.
This is anybody's issue – men and women, and extends to women's own limiting self-beliefs.
Although information technology may be tempting to solve gender inequality by concentrating on women, gender inclusiveness should involve both men and women, equally initiatives involving only half of the population volition likely have reduced results.
Amid other things, this ways that fathers must too be involved and encouraged to tell their daughters that the sky is the limit and support her as she endeavours to become an engineer, a pilot, an astronaut or to run a visitor.
Women as well have a part to play. Let us put in a good give-and-take for another woman instead of putting her downwardly, allow the states build each other upward instead of tear each other down due to our ain jealousies and insecurities.
Maybe we would be able to build connections to improve the earth around united states of america if we were not scared of the vicious words others would say well-nigh usa for expressing our passions and opinions.
Peradventure if women were to band together, International Women's Day need not be only a mean solar day. Every day would be a twenty-four hour period to honour women and as women, honour ourselves.
Junie Foo is the chair and co-founder of BoardAgender, an initiative of the Singapore Quango of Women's Organisation (SCWO).
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/international-womens-day-address-bias-gender-equality-214986
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