Gender Diversity in the Workplace

Gender Diversity in the Workplace Statistics:

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that within management, only 41.9% of workers are female, while only 9.2% of the total number of employees in this sphere are African American.

According to a study done by the Pew Research Center:

• 61% of employees claim their workplace has fairness in hiring policies in place.
• 26% of workplaces offer affinity or employee resource groups based on shared identity.
• 32% of employees wish to work in an environment that has an equal mix of races, ethnicities, and ages.
• African American and women employees are more likely to value diversity in the workplace than white men.
• 56% of employees say focusing on diversity and inclusion is a good thing, while 16% say it's a bad thing.
• Among male employees, 36% say that being a man in their workplace makes it easier for them to succeed.

Some government and independent sources have also noted that:

• Women earn 83% of the salary that men do.
• Women are 30% less likely to be called back for an interview than men with the same qualifications.
• Only 5% of the overall 26% of women in C-suite positions are women of color.
• Highly diverse companies have a cash flow per employee that is 2.5 times higher than companies that are not diverse.
• Companies with a workforce that is more than 30% female are more likely to outperform their competitors.
• 80% of employees want to work for companies that value inclusivity and equality.

Diversity vs. Inclusion: Why is Gender Diversity in the Workplace Not Enough?

While committing yourself to hiring more employees from underrepresented groups is a step closer to creating a more gender-diverse workplace, it is not enough: companies should also work on gender inclusion in the workplace.

A gender-diverse workplace has an equal representation of men, women, transgender, and nonbinary individuals. A gender-inclusive workplace has a company culture that helps employees feel like they are valued and can bring their true selves to work, where they will feel like they belong.

Therefore, gender diversity and gender inclusion go hand-in-hand in creating a company culture that will promote a solid, positive company reputation, increase staff retention, and also increase company revenue.

Benefits of Gender Diversity in the Workplace:

• A more gender-diverse hiring platform means a wider pool of talent to draw from, increasing your company's level of skill.
• The different viewpoints brought to the table by the different genders will lead to an increase in innovation and creativity.
• Because women have a higher level of cognitive empathy than men, and are thus better able to understand nonverbal cues, a more gender-diverse workplace will enhance teamwork and collaboration.
• A more gender-inclusive workplace fosters understanding and gets rid of workplace microaggressions and bullying, leading to a happier workforce, boosting morale, and increasing staff retention.
• With a fair representation of the different genders, your company will have a better understanding of your customers' needs.
• A commitment to gender diversity and inclusivity will improve your company's reputation with job seekers and customers.

Disadvantages of Gender Diversity in the Workplace:

• A more gender-diverse workplace may lead to discomfort, with some individuals unable to understand or accept a different viewpoint.
• Increasing gender diversity does not eliminate discrimination, which may lead to an increase in workplace hostility.
• When a company focuses entirely on gender-inclusive hiring and on the differences in the workforce, it can lead to a loss of focus in hiring based on skill and on providing for customers and growing the business.
• Companies will have to invest time and money in sensitivity training and raising cultural awareness.
• An increase in gender differences may lead to a decrease in communication levels.
• An increase in ideas and creativity may lead to more time spent debating these ideas, slowing down work and increasing the chances of teams missing deadlines.

How to Improve and Promote Gender Diversity in the Workplace:

1. Challenge stereotypes.

Try to combat gender stereotypes in the workplace by fostering open discussions. These gender stereotypes generally include ideas such as IT techs being "geeks" who play lots of video games and don't date, or that women in charge are "bossy" or too "soft" to be in charge.

You should also go over your job description templates and company policies and delete words that hold a gender bias. Using words like "assertive" or "competitive" often discourages women from applying for jobs as these are seen as masculine traits. Likewise, men often avoid applying for jobs that use words such as "supportive" and "polite," as these are seen as feminine traits.

2. Amplify employee voices.

All employees want to be treated fairly or the same as male employees have traditionally been treated. One of the ways to do this is to help employees voice their thoughts, opinions, and ideas by giving each employee due attention and consideration of their ideas, rather than dismissing them outright because they are not men.

3. Practice fair promotion practices.

As we have already seen, women occupy fewer managerial positions than men, and, in fact, only 87 women for every 100 men are promoted to manager. To encourage fair promotion practices, you should ensure that every employee has an equal amount of contact with seniors and mentors.

4. Ensure a diverse hiring committee.

Many companies leave the role of ensuring diversity up to one person, when in fact your entire hiring committee should represent fair workplace gender diversity. A diverse hiring board using a predetermined set of questions to eliminate bias will help put your candidates at ease. Employers should also consider using a scorecard in the hiring process, to keep the focus on the desired skills and experience for the position.

5. Implement gender diversity training in the workplace.

Gender diversity training is a must in the workplace to foster a more inclusive work environment and reduce the amount of microaggressions and discrimination. This kind of training can help your employees to better understand each other and learn to understand what gender diversity is, how it affects everyone, and what behaviors are not acceptable in the workplace.

Another good type of training is learning to recognize and combat unconscious stereotypes that lead to unconscious bias. By providing this training to your hiring managers, you ensure a fairer and more objective hiring process.

Furthermore, you should implement diversity and inclusion policies in your workplace that take into account the different backgrounds and circumstances of your workers. This kind of gender identity legislation and inclusion fosters a welcoming and respectful workplace and will help with employee retention.

Anti-discrimination policies are also important to discourage workplace bullying and foster a safe environment where employees feel empowered to speak up against discrimination and harassment.

6. Implement gender diversity initiatives in the workplace.

It is important to implement changes to your workplace structure to ensure gender diversity and equality in the workplace. Regularly perform a pay equity analysis to ensure all employees receive equal pay based on their role, experience, education, and skill level, rather than gender. You should also review your promotions and succession planning to ensure equal opportunity for all.

Furthermore, conduct employee surveys to get insight into your company culture and how the different genders feel they are treated. Implement policies to correct any potential issues and improve gender inclusion in your workplace.

7. Keep track of diversity metrics.

By paying attention to and tracking your hiring metrics, promotion metrics, employee satisfaction levels, and retention rates, you can measure the impact of your gender diversity efforts and continue to improve them.