Many theories have been offered over the years about why women do not advance at the same levels as men in the workplace. Some believe that women are not assertive enough in the workplace, and following this thread, Sheryl Sandberg urged women to “lean in.” Women are now leaning in to the point of tipping over yet very little has changed for women’s advancement opportunities. Others have argued that women are not as ambitious as men, but educational outcomes beg to differ. Women earn more college degrees than men - more Bachelor’s, Masters, and PhDs are awarded to women as compared to men. Black women are the most educated demographic group in the U.S. but they are sorely underrepresented in workplace leadership roles. Women are ambitious as a group, but we cannot earn our way into top positions by education alone. 

Unconscious bias is a barrier for women. Resulting from a lifetime of exposure to information and images reinforcing men’s primary role in the workplace, most of us carry unconscious bias against working women especially for leadership and STEM roles. We all have some unconscious bias resulting from how and where we were raised, books and tv that we viewed growing up, and other experiences that affected us, whether we know it or not. At a recent conference, Dow's Zen Saunders said, “if you have a brain, you have unconscious bias.” The impact on women swimming against this tide is challenging, and for Black and other women of color, even more profound. 

International Women's Day recognizes the barriers posed by unconscious bias and has challenged everyone to break the bias, as its 2022 theme. The Parity Podcast developed a list of 22 ways for you to break the bias in 2022 and beyond. 

Break the Bias by Educating Yourself and Others

• The first step you should take to break the bias is to assess your own unconscious bias. One assessment tool is the Harvard Implicit Bias Test which is free, online, and will take you about 20 minutes for each assessment. But don’t stop there. If you have unconscious bias - and you will - then learn more about the types of biases you have so that you can begin to control your bias. To learn more about gender bias, you can listen to How to Uncover Unconscious Bias So We Can See Women. 

• Read books to break the bias so that you better understand gender bias like Wild Hair by Tracy J. Edmonds, All Report by Diane Primo, That’s What She Said by Joann Lipman, The Good Culture by Rebecca Friese, and Better Allies by Karen Catlin. If we open up our minds to the possibility of unconscious bias and then look for bias in our own lives, we can start disrupting the bias and changing our behavior.

• Educate yourself on the intersectional experience of women who are Black or Brown, members of the LGBTQA+ community, among the youngest or oldest segments of their profession, or those women with disabilities. These women, and others who have facets of their make-up which are not in the majority, face biases not only due to their gender, but also as a result of their race and other factors.

• Break the bias by not underestimating women. If you find that your initial impulse is to question the competency of a woman, challenge yourself. Is your first impression accurate or is it rooted in gender bias?

• Because of beauty bias, women are under more pressure than men to be attractive. Women who don’t measure up to beauty expectations are considered to be less competent. When making hiring and promotion decisions, make sure that your judgment and the judgment of others is focused on the skills and competency of applicants and not on appearances. To lessen the disproportionate burden on women to be attractive, you should also institute practices for your teams that allow cameras off for Zoom-like calls.

• Women face additional biases after becoming mothers, often called the “motherhood penalty.” According to research by Bright Horizons, over 40% believe that women are less committed to work after having children. If you question whether a woman is up to the task because of her parenting responsibilities, challenge yourself and consider whether your unconscious bias is playing a role. And when in doubt, ask mothers whether they have the capacity to take on new assignments.

• Break the bias by talking about your experiences with bias. When engaging in conversations about gender bias, educate yourself first, do a lot of pre-planning, listen to the other side, and have an open mind. Everyone involved in the conversation can learn something new, and ideally, conversations about gender bias will open up new understandings so that we can make continuous improvement towards less bias. 

Break the Bias by Creating Diverse Teams and Fostering Cultures of Inclusion

• Build relationships with people who do not look like you and better yet, with people who are underrepresented in your organization. By creating diverse teams or groups of people not only at work but also in your personal life, you will better understand people who are different from you.

• If you have responsibility for hiring people at your organization, build a diverse team to make hiring decisions. Use standardized questions for all applicants so that no one has a leg up due to experiences that are common within the same demographic group. You should also ensure that the applicant pool is diverse.

• Create cultures of inclusion so that women are not interrupted and have equal air time during meetings and calls. Also, create safe spaces so that women can speak freely about their ideas and concerns. Everyone will benefit from these cultures. You can learn more about how to foster inclusive workplace cultures in Eight Signposts of Workplace Cultures Where Women Thrive.

• Train leaders in your organization how to lead with empathy. One way to lead with greater empathy is to imagine stepping into someone else’s shoes. You will never fully understand another person’s experience, but the practice is a step towards greater understanding and awareness.

• Be an active listener. Seek to listen and understand someone else’s experience with bias with an open mind before forming judgments. By listening, we have the opportunity to find new pathways for greater understanding. Active listening will also help you lead with empathy.

Lean In Male Allies to Break the Bias

• Women alone cannot disrupt bias so we need men to step up as male allies. Unless male allies are as committed as women to reduce gender bias, change will not happen. For tips on how to be a male ally, check out How Male Allies Can Lean In For Measurable Gains to Achieve Parity.

• Allyship starts at home. According to McKinsey, women perform up to 3x as much work at home as compared to men. If this is happening in your household, redistribute work more equitably. And remember that your children are watching. If you want your daughters to have the same opportunities as your sons, then male allies should model the right behavior at home so that all children can choose partners wisely and be successful.

• Male allies can break the bias by mentoring a woman. A mentor is someone who provides guidance and career advice. According to studies by Harvard Business Review, formal mentoring programs have been shown to increase gender diversity. Other studies have shown that mentors often learn just as much as mentees so mentorship programs are a win/win.

• Male allies can break the bias by sponsoring a woman and advocating for her success. The key word is “advocate.” Male allies can make tremendous impact by identifying talented women and advocating for their promotions, pay raises, and other advancement opportunities. Male allies should say her name in rooms where leaders make important talent decisions.

Break the Bias by Confronting the Bias

• You may encounter bullies in the workplace, particularly when you are first establishing yourself. If these people are in your organization and are blocking your advancement, consider whether there are ways to maneuver around them. Ask your sponsors, mentors, and male allies for help. You can learn more about how to foster positive work cultures by listening to Eight Signposts of Workplace Cultures Where Women Thrive.

• If you encounter people who refuse to seek to understand gender bias, protect yourself first. How you respond can be a powerful way to nudge people to think differently, but if the nudging does not work, walk away and save your energy for other people open to change. 

• You may encounter people who fear that diversity, equity, and inclusion is about pushing them out or replacing them with women and other people who are underrepresented. Continuously remind people that DEI is about inclusion - and not exclusion - with a focus on expanding opportunities for everyone. 

• To break the bias, speak out to confront gender bias when it is safe to do so. When evaluating whether to confront bias, consider the power structure. Consider your power within your organization and the power of the person who sought to oppress you or someone else with their bias. Discuss strategies with trusted mentors, sponsors, and male allies. You can learn more about how to plan for these tough conversations by listening to How to Have Tough Conversations at Work.

• If you decide to confront bias, do not have a conversation about bias in the heat of the moment. Let your emotions subside and then with the help of friends and male allies, develop a plan and identify your desired outcome. Confronting gender bias is about being a change agent and the process may take time. In the meantime, take care of your mental health.

• Do not let bullies intimidate you or negatively impact your performance, but if this happens, seek help from your mentors, sponsors, and male allies. You may also need to bring in your boss and HR to discuss solutions.

How to Learn More

You can learn more about how to break the bias by listening to How to Break the Bias with Guests Lilian Agyemang-Yeboah and Ashia Johnson. As always, reach out if you have questions or need to talk through your experience with bias. Together, we can break the bias in 2022 and beyond.

Join Us

The Parity Podcast was founded by Cathy Nestrick and Deborah Pollack-Milgate. Cathy is a former law partner and General Counsel of a Fortune 500 company. Deborah is a partner at Barnes and Thornburg, practicing IP and commercial litigation. Both are committed to accelerating gender parity through the Parity Prescription. We are happy to talk to you and your organization about how we can work together to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace. You can learn more about our work at www.par-ity.com and you can reach us at CathyandDeborah@par-ity.com.