Challenging gender bias in the workplace

According to research by LeanIn.org, 73% of women experience bias at work, yet less than a third of employees are able to recognise bias when they see it. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it harder for women to get hired and promoted and negatively impacts their day-to-day work experiences.

Research shows that women regularly experience microaggressions at work which could include things like tone policing, stereotyping, gaslighting, inappropriate language or jokes, interruption or being spoken over, having their judgement questioned in area of expertise and others commenting on their emotional state.

Shockingly, women from diverse cultural backgrounds, LGBTQI+ women, and women with disabilities face more severe biases. But fewer than half of employees say they've spoken out against biased behaviour at any point in their career.

Senior Procurement Advisor, Fiona Smart is one of the few who have made a decision to challenge and speak out against these ingrained behaviours to try help people become more aware of the negative impact that these seemingly small biases can have on women in the workplace and in general.

Fiona shares her insights, experiences and thoughts on this somewhat sensitive but important topic ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2022.

It’s disheartening that many leaders across Australia are still not doing enough for women in both actions and words.

Conversely, it's heartening to see communities and businesses celebrating women, and recognising men who provide critical allyship. Men's allyship should not be underestimated; it's crucial to challenging the day to day and systemic biases we continue to face and supporting women to overcome roadblocks created by biases.

We can only Break the Bias if we all commit to enacting and being consistent with meaningful change, which is dependent on women as much as it is men.

I have personally experienced bias based on my gender presentation throughout my professional career. From being asked to fetch the forklift driver by a delivery driver when I managed a warehouse to being told that my feedback to a manager would have been better received if I'd smiled when delivering it. I have witnessed bias far more often than I would expect in the workplace including reductive language.

If you've worked with me for any length of time, you'll know I bristle at being called a girl as much as I do when other women are referred to as girls. You don't hear about the girls on our Board, or the girl who is Chief Executive, the girl who's our Minister or the girl who's an innovator in the field of reconstructive and burns surgery.

When we call our colleagues who identify as female "girls", some may feel smaller, weaker and less important. Our female colleagues are women who may be juggling full-time work and study, they may be supporting a family - they work alongside you, deserve respect and to be taken as seriously as anyone else.

Context is so important when thinking about how we use appropriate language. I might call my close friends girls; in the same way I'll call them Queen or a Magical Unicorn or a Glorious Valkyrie - but this is in private with my friends.

Language is more powerful than you might think. When we use language appropriately and are conscious of the words we use, everyone feels respected. We can confidently speak our minds, participate and contribute more, which results in better outcomes for everyone.

I don't always find it easy to ask people not to call me a girl and, to you, it might seem like a small thing, but it’s these small things that add up and continue to drive inequality.

We can create and foster environments that empower people to challenge language and achieve positive change, but sometimes we need to stop talking and just listen.

#BreakTheBias this International Women’s Day (8 March 2022) and beyond.