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4 Practices to Enable Women’s Equality in the Workplace

Discrimination and gender bias still exist in many workplaces across the country.

When women aren’t appointed to leadership positions, executives who make decisions on behalf of women might not understand women’s issues, including equal opportunity, harassment, patriarchy, reproductive rights, gender pay gaps, and other lesser-known ones.

Even after 15 years, women are still underpaid in comparison to men. In 2020, women earned $0.82 for each dollar earned by men-a gap that grows even larger for women of color.

Considering this, creating an equitable working environment for women should be your firm’s mission.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we will share four tips for executives and leaders on ensuring women are leading, being heard, and succeeding in their organizations.

1. Remove The Gender Pay Gap
A report published by Gender Pay Gap 2020 indicates that women earn 19% less than their male counterparts for the same job.

There are many reasons for the gender pay gap, but discrimination is mostly to blame. It would be best if you took advantage of your authority as a leader to end such stereotypical and gender-biased practices. To ensure women aren’t receiving less than men in equivalent roles, be transparent about salaries. Pay everyone the same wage regardless of gender.

Through this, you can cultivate a fair corporate culture.

By positioning your brand as a strong advocate for gender equality, you will trigger a domino effect, leading other companies to adopt gender-friendly practices as well.

2. Provide Equal Learning & Training Opportunities
Women want and need development opportunities!

Women leaders must be given opportunities to grow throughout their career journeys and at all levels of the talent pipeline if an organization intends to attract, support, retain, and promote them.

In the workplace, this is a very effective way of promoting gender equality.

Your workplace can also benefit from diversity training, as it can promote gender equality and make employees aware of their rights. Hire a professional to provide training on gender issues, discrimination, and women’s rights.

3. Identify & Remove Biases
Traditionally, jobs are clustered differently among men and women. IT jobs, for instance, are primarily filled with men, while nursing jobs are mainly filled with women. This belief leads to gender expectations – because IT jobs are often filled by men, and women are not expected to take the same jobs. Also, there is gender bias and favoritism, with men being 30% more likely to be considered than women in the recruitment process. Several steps can be taken to limit these biases, including:

• Provide unconscious bias training – by educating your people on biases and teaching them how to avoid them, your employees will be able to prevent them in the future.
• Utilize gender-neutral language – for example, in a job description, company documentation, etc.
• Quit stereotyping – men, women, and other genders should be welcome in any industry and job level.

4. Promote Women With Leadership Roles
Did you know only 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women?

Despite the difficulties women have faced in climbing the ladder of success, they are equally capable of becoming great leaders. They could be the next Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Mother Teresa, or even their own name.

As more women are hired across the board, a better representation of women in leadership positions inadvertently improves gender equality at work. Additionally, if women are represented in leadership roles, there will be more opportunities for career advancement and mentorship for more female employees.