Gender bias is a reality, but recognizing it can spark change
Beth Wolfson //July 20, 2016//
Gender bias is a reality, but recognizing it can spark change
Beth Wolfson //July 20, 2016//
What if your colleagues discriminated against you just for being assertive? Unfortunately, gender bias is a reality in today’s workplace. Our research reveals women’s perceived competency drops by 35 percent and their perceived worth by $15,088 when they are equally as assertive or forceful as their male colleagues. Assertive men are also punished, but to a much lesser degree.
One training participant we worked with recently said that before she could even finish her sentence, her colleague had already jumped to the wrong conclusion about her intentions.
“It seems like such an uphill battle,” she said. “I was trying to volunteer to help out, and my colleague believed I was trying to take over. As a woman, you can’t win.”
While unacceptable, gender bias does exist, and learning more about its nuances is the first step toward igniting change. Eliminating bias altogether will require changing the cultural, legal, organizational and social influences that make it costly for employees—especially women—to speak up.
And while society slowly turns the wheels of change, our research seeks to give victims of social inequality strategies and skills for expressing strong opinions while minimizing social backlash.
The Research: Framing Statements
We wondered whether brief framing statements that demonstrate deliberation, forethought, and control would reduce the social-backlash and emotion-inequality effects.
To test our hypothesis, we asked 8,000 participants to rate the performance of a “manager”. We showed participants videotaped interactions that featured either a male or female actor portraying the manager. The actors were rated to be equally attractive, used identical scripts, and were coached to deliver near-identical performances. The only difference was their gender. Using this method, we tested three frames:
This frame sets an expectation. It makes sure the statement that follows doesn’t come as a surprise. Without the frame, observers are blindsided by the force of the emotion and may assume the worst—that the person has lost his or her temper. This frame prevents this negative conclusion.
This frame gives a positive reason for the emotion. In fact, it turns the emotion into a virtue by turning it into a measure of commitment to a shared value.
This phrase warns observers that they may have an implicit bias. It causes them to try hard to be fair or to adjust their judgment in an effort to be fair.
The results showed that the managers who used a brief framing statement reduced the social backlash and emotion-inequality effects by 27 percent!
Skills for Speaking Up
Speaking forcefully creates a social backlash for both men and women—though it’s more severe for women. This backlash occurs when observers use the emotion to draw negative conclusions about the speaker’s intent. The backlash is reduced when the speaker takes a few seconds to explain her positive intent before stating her content. Here are a few recommended actions:
Social backlash can shut down even the best and bravest in your organization. Today’s workplaces cannot thrive if employees—regardless of gender—don’t speak up. Those equipped with the skills to frame their assertive comments will reduce the effects of emotional inequality and enjoy greater candor, stronger working relationships, and better results.
Beth Wolfson is President of Beth Wolfson Leadership Consulting Services located in Denver. She is a VitalSmarts Master Trainer and helps organizations locally and internationally engage in healthy dialog resulting in improved results and relationships. Email her at [email protected]
David Maxfield is the Vice President of Research at VitalSmarts, a global training and consulting firm headquartered in Provo, Utah. He is also a New York Times bestselling author, keynote speaker and leading social scientist for organizational change. Find out more at www.crucialskills.com.