Mind Your Biases

International Women's Day is an opportunity to celebrate the advances made towards gender equality as well as to reflect on where there is still work to be done and what steps each of us can take to forge a more gender equal and equitable future. To me, equality is about the freedom to choose ones own reality and sadly many are still unable to do this due to systemic cultural, social and legal barriers around the globe.

This past year, it seems like we’ve gone backwards in many countries. Whether it be the dissolution of Roe vs Wade in the US, removing a woman’s constitutional right to choose abortion in 13 states, supposedly a first world country. Or the brutal killing of Mahsa Amini for not wearing a hijab that brought to light the many violations of women’s human rights in Iran since the 1979 change in government. The World Bank says there are still 104 economies with labour laws that restrict the types of jobs women can undertake, it estimates that this affects the employment choices of 2.7 billion women. The type of discrimination women face varies from country to country. In 123 countries there are no laws to stop sexual harassment in education, and 59 countries don’t legislate against it in the workplace. In 18 countries, husbands have the legal right to prevent their wives from working.

We are all entitled to human rights. These include the right to live free from violence and discrimination; to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; to have bodily autonomy, to be educated, to own property; to vote, to earn an equal wage. Many Australian’s may shake their heads and say this is not an Australian problem, we’ve evolved and we don’t discriminate against women, but this is simply a lie we choose to tell ourselves to bury our heads in the sand and do nothing to advance women’s rights.

Impact of Biases

We all come with biases, they’re mental shortcuts our brains use to make quick decisions. More accurately defined, a bias is an inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair. Biases come from our belief systems and stories passed down through generations from our religions, social, cultural norms, families or the media. They are stories we tell ourselves, stories we believe to be true. Biases are mostly deeply ingrained and unconscious. Biases influence our decision making and drive our behaviours.

For example, lets say that you believe that females don’t belong in gaming, this may lead to offensive behaviour towards them online, such as leaving a game knowing a female player is in the mix or worse using offensive language to harass the female player. Watch Through Their Eyes for a social experiment on this. A staggering 83 per cent of female identifying gamers experience discrimination and receive offensive behaviour or language while online gaming. This may seem trivial to some, but this type of discrimination affects a females freedom to choose safe spaces for their hobbies and may influence them to give up hobbies that bring them joy.

Some parents may believe that females don’t belong in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM) professions, unwittingly priming their female children from pursuing tertiary education and careers in these fields. Did you know that low levels of female representation in automotive engineering has led to dire safety concerns for women. Compared with men, women are 73% more likely to be injured – and 17% more likely to die – in a vehicle crash. In 2022, a study of 70,000 patients who had been trapped in vehicles found that women were more frequently trapped than men. Part of the problem is that the male dominated safety crews in car manufacturing plants conduct safety tests using dummies modelled on the average male – because only “male” dummies are mandated for tests by regulators. This is one of the many reasons we need female representation in STEM fields, to ensure our technologies, research, design, financial systems are inclusive, taking into account the needs of the female population.

How do we break the bias against women?

Avoid rushing into decisions or actions, but rather, take a mindful moment to determine whether the belief or judgement you have is useful; it may be true for us, but in perspective, is it a useful bias to base our decision on. Do we have observable data or facts that prove it is right? Does it violate a female’s freedom of choice?

We all have the power to end discrimination by simply becoming aware of our biases and by choosing to stand and speak up against overt and covert discrimination. Reflecting on our beliefs is a great place to start. Our beliefs can have a strengthening or constraining effect on the people in our families, networks and workplaces. It's called the Pygmalion Effect and was first uncovered through a 1966 study conducted by Rosenthal and Jacobson who studied the impact of an instructor's beliefs on student performance. Their observational study was of 3 groups of students (with the same ability levels) who were assigned 3 separate teachers.

1. The first teacher was told that their group of students had IQ’s off the charts

2. The second was told their group had enormous diversity of IQ scores

3. The third was told their group had poor performing students

Student performance was measured after 1 year of study. Even though the students across all 3 classes had the same ability levels at the start of the study, the first group performed best.

So as it turns out, if you believe you’re teaching geniuses you’re going to give them more attention, positive reinforcement, you're going to believe in them and your belief in their strengths will help them believe in themselves too which will all have a positive impact on their performance and wellbeing.

This type of study has been replicated many times since and shows time and time again that we need to be conscious of our biases and to hold positive and encouraging beliefs about our family, friends, members of our team and colleagues or students that we teach, as our beliefs have an impact on their performance in work, study and life in general.

So, consider the beliefs that you currently hold about the people in your life and reflect on whether they are positive or negative and how you may be able to shift any negative biases. This is one major way we can all Crack the Code for a gender equal future.

How can we show up as our true selves in a world rife with stereotypes and biases?

Female stereotypes are still very rife in families, workplaces, schools, social settings, and if you're on the receiving end of stereotypical behaviour, these stereotypes have the power to infiltrate your beliefs about yourself and your abilities, and may keep you from discovering who you truly are, what you want out of life and this may affect the choices that you make. This may force girls and women to act in ways that don't align with their values, strengths and keep them from realising their true potential.

Let me illustrate this with an example, we all have a longing to connect and belong to causes and groups in which we study and work, so lets say that a woman works in a male dominated industry or team; in order to feel a sense of belonging, she may act in masculine ways that may not align with her personality or natural ways of being. This inauthenticity is not only draining for this particular woman but will inhibit her ability to connect with her colleagues. She may not even be aware that she's not being true to herself if she doesnt have strong self-awareness, and if she repeats this behaviour, over time, it will become ingrained in her identity which may impact her ability to thrive.

In a world rife with stereotypes, its really easy to lose sight of who we are, which is why taking the time to understand your values, higher purpose and strengths is so crucial. Countless studies have shown that when we show up as our true selves, we are mentally and physically healthier, we can effortlessly connect with others and build quality relationships, we pursue careers and goals that align with who we are, we are more energised and more capable of achieving our goals.

Freedom to Choose

We can all advance women's rights by taking steps to eradicate our biases, stereotypes and social and cultural norms that inhibit a females freedom to choose her reality. If it aligns with our higher purpose, values and strengths, we can educate ourselves and enter occupations in traditionally male dominated industries to ensure the needs of all genders are catered for through products, technologies, systems and services offered through these industries.

Equally, if your higher purpose is to serve others, and you have an inclination to bring children into the world and dedicate your life to nurturing them and helping them thrive, you should feel free to choose that too. We all come with different values, strengths and higher-purpose and should continue to embrace each others diversity and freedom to choose our realities. Happy International Women's Day to all the females and allies.

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