- Attiya Younus
Driving past a donation centre associated with a local non-profit charity organisation, I always observed male donation attendants at the doors while female workers was visibly engaged in sorting and replenishing products inside the ware house. Likewise, as a routine commuter in public transit and as a critical observer of social happenings, I have observed that roughly only one in five to eight transit operators are women in a metropolitan and populous city like Toronto which surely has no dearth of female human resource. Construction sites and paramedic, police and fire services are no different in terms of minimal female work force. The unignorable question on similar frequent observations that haunts me is if there is lack of female talent or the lack of sincere female talent search efforts.
I am not convinced by the first possibility since I have seen a large number of female post-secondary students in programs like construction, hospitality, engineering and accounting. The only possible explanation is the lack of thought and consideration put into hiring processes which can be further traced back to the lack of clear organisational policies with regards to female recruitment.
Of course, this argument can clearly be countered by examples of numerous professions where women are working in many job descriptions. Walk into a bank and you may be greeted by a female financial advisor or your financial matters may be attended by a female teller. Personal support workers, cashiers, call-centre agents and property managers are a few more examples of job positions usually filled in by female candidates. However, seeing the truth in its multiple shades from multiple perspectives is essential to come to a reasonable conclusion. Female work force in certain industries can not be seen as an excuse for their almost complete exclusion from others.
Not only is this gender-based discrimination restricted to the entry-level recruitment in organisations, but this malpractice also perpetuates each time there is an opportunity for promotion. The malicious mindset that women may not be able to cope with the pressures of a position requiring higher productivity and efficiency is nothing but based on a foundation of pointless assumptions. Germany’s economic progress under the Chancellorship of Angela Markle and the exemplary handling of religious extremism in New-Zealand by Jacinda Ardern are just two examples of visionary leadership and progressive mindedness of female heads of states.
The factors contributing to biased assumptions against female human resource particularly include gender-stereotypes systematically drilled through conservative upbringing, orthodox religious views and social institutions. Socially taught and reinforced gender stereotype is a discussion in itself which despite being worth reflecting is beyond the scope of this essay.
Just as the reasons of gender-based discrimination at workplace are spread over the entire fabric of social activity, the solutions to this socially damaging and very prevalent problem also need to be broad-based in their implementation. A wonderful first step towards the end of gender discrimination in workplaces would be making the issue visible instead of maintaining silence and looking away from it.
Awareness programs at both educational and organisational level would make the biggest difference of changing the mindset. In a country like Canada where national level legislation and organisational policy reforms already in place to ensure gender equality at workplaces, frequent audits of organisational practices particularly at hiring and promotion events can be the effective step towards elimination of this problem. At the same time, developing South-Asian countries may tailor or adapt the western model in accordance with the local context to set off on the road to gender equality. As German philosopher Herbert Marcuse advocated the idea that perceptions are true in their consequences, there is good reason to believe that a positive change in mindset through shunning of gender bias will definitely lead to progressive and inclusive practices not only within organisations but at the larger social level as well.