2 Drivers of Gender Inequality at Work

In this short video Professor Mabel Abraham discusses how we need to uncover the drivers of gender inequality if we are serious about attaining gender parity in our organizations:

Professor Abraham’s recent research, in collaboration Tristan L. Botelho at Yale School of Management, considered two key drivers of gender inequality – Evaluation and Networks – and suggests some remedies:

Evaluation

Biased evaluation processes can affect recruitment, selection and promotion. The study found, for example, that bias when hiring is noticeable when there is a large volume of options. “So, one thing companies can actually do is… minimize the number of candidates that they’re considering,” says Abraham.

Networks

Bias in networking can contribute to holding careers back. The study found, for example, that gender bias was prevalent when we try to account for someone else’s preferences. “If you know someone would be really valuable to you, you don’t want to rely on someone else to speak on your behalf. You want to develop that tie directly. You want to overcome the potential that somebody could be hesitant to connect you simply because they anticipate the partner being biased,” says Abraham

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Whether motivated by a desire for social justice, or because it’s good for the bottom line, most progressive organizations believe they should be fostering gender parity, but progress is slow.

The booming technology sector, for example, is dominated by men and even when women do enter it they are earning less. The downside of this is both social injustice and bad commerce; as without women in the sector decisions affecting consumers and investments are skewed to a male perspective. Abraham quotes from Melinda Gates, “If we don’t have women in the tech space, we won’t even be asking ourselves some of the right questions.”