IWD 2022: Break the Bias
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Break the Bias”, so to raise awareness and contribute to this cause we’ve asked some Smarkets employees to share a time they themselves have experienced gender bias, or share an inspirational story of a woman who has overcome these biases.
In many aspects of life women are subject to bias. There are the typical workplace gender differences you hear about daily: pay gaps, unjust promotions and male-dominated industries. There’s the societal pressure to uphold a particular kind of ‘beauty’, expectations of being a mother and even preconceptions of how a woman should act a certain way. The list could go on, and these are the type of biases a more privileged woman would be subject to, compared to those in less fortunate countries or situations.
But gender biases can be more deep-rooted than the aforementioned examples. Gender bias is engraved in us, even in some women themselves. Society spreads these ideas to the extent that we are conditioned to think it’s just the unquestioned norm. An example of this is how women are conditioned to feel more beautiful with makeup on, even when no one is around. Or how they instil doubt in their own mind without being entirely sure why. But this year we strive to break that bias and uplift women everywhere.
In recent years, gender equality has improved but we still have a way to go. So help spread awareness; question gender bias when you see it occur and even question your own thoughts. Smarkets employees have shared the following stories to try to help us consider how gender biases affect women and inspiring stories of how they can be broken.
Roza, Recruitment
That time when your male colleague received praise for your work or when people turned to a man for answers to questions that you are more qualified to answer. These are just a couple of examples of biases that I and other women get faced with every day.
Bias is a proxy to make decisions easier and it’s part of being human. Though it has its side effects, it’s something that we’re not trying to eliminate but need to be conscious about how prone we are to make mistakes. This year’s theme “Break the Bias” for me is about making people aware of the bias we have against women and challenging it. Bias against women can have detrimental effects and it is something that we need to be conscious of.
What can I do to break the bias?
“Flip it — Have you heard a woman being referred to as a ‘working Mum’? I am guessing the answer is yes, but how often do you hear men referred to as a ‘working Dad?’ If it can’t be flipped don’t say it” — Jenny Garrett
Check yourself. We have all grown up in a sexist, racist, xenophobic, misogynistic society and opening our eyes to certain things will take time. We make mistakes and it’s okay, so let’s break the bias together.
Bhavina, Engineering
I’m not a supporter of International Women’s Day — more specifically I don’t support the fact that a day where people take the time out to appreciate women should exist. But the sad reality is that it does. That in itself speaks volumes. Our experiences of gender bias vastly differ based on who we are, the people we’re surrounded by and our culture, but at the end of the day, all women have all faced it. Whether it is something as ‘trivial’ as not contributing ideas during meetings out of fear of being shrugged off because ‘what do women know’, to being told the life you choose isn’t ‘aligned with a woman’s duties’, being passed up on a job because ‘women aren’t born leaders’, or in some countries not even getting the same rights to contribute to society (e.g. vote in elections).
Personally, most of what I have faced is unconscious bias. Often it can be subtler compared to some of the above, but it doesn’t stop it from being any less hurtful. An example: a few weeks ago I was at a networking event with a male friend, both of us software engineers. Another guy came up to us to ask us all the standard questions one asks when they meet someone. The response to my friend’s job was pretty standard and probably what you’d expect — “Oh cool, I’ve always wished I was good at programming”. The response to me, however, was more like “…it’s impressive that you’re making it in the fields you’re in”. I did not react to this, but my friend got into a heated discussion with him on how it was not okay to go around implying people are not ‘good enough’ or ‘the usual type’ of person that works in a particular industry/job because it’s quite frankly degrading. He didn’t know what he was saying could be offensive, but why would he? Nobody has ever flagged it up before, and all he was doing was drawing from the [incorrect] stereotype of software engineers being ‘white men sat in a dark room staring at a green terminal on their computer screen.’ These passing comments are made all the time, and I just shrug them off because they’ve been thrown at me all my life. It’s not okay that we just accept this behaviour: it’s not okay that this behaviour still exists. This is a minor example, but it shows that a lot of us [women] just accept things the way they are, and most men don’t even realise what we face daily until they’re there to experience it. We need to start calling these people out. It’s time to break the stereotypes and end gender bias.
Larisa, Finance
Growing up I was forbidden to whine, from falling ill or even from being bullied. I had to ‘take it on the chin’, as the Brits say. I have been made to think that crying is a sign of weakness and whenever I showed any emotions, I was immediately cut off.
There’s a popular literature reference that ran in my family which is ‘Zoe be a man!’ — I was repeatedly told to be a man, act like a man, throughout my upbringing.
I’ve come to realise the cost of all this at some point later in life, but I don’t blame anyone — they did what they thought was right, to toughen me up, make me ready to face the world. To this day, I feel guilty when I cry, but oh (wo)man do I cry now!
Not too long ago, I was advised by a man in a professional environment to never show my emotions at work. He told me this story of some women he used to work with. How it was so simple to see if they had good or bad days, had their periods, had fights with their partners. All, except one who always kept her composure and was strong like a Viking. This person had achieved the greatest success in her career and, in his belief, this was not a coincidence.
Why am I telling this story? Because unfortunately part of me still thinks that this is true. Although there’s so much progress made in embracing vulnerability, I feel like first and foremost, I have to break this bias for myself. I want to think that women can express themselves however they like and still get the respect, appreciation or promotion they deserve. On this occasion, I wish all women to be strong but not afraid to be sensible.
Jessica, Customer Service
I want to give a shoutout to my sister. Amanda is a mother of three young boys and worked a full-time position all while preparing her business and painting fan art. She recently quit her desk job and is now opening her tattoo business which inspires me to pursue my own freelance art shop. She tattoos herself for practice and is a DBZ mega fan as well as a singer/songwriter/guitarist. I don’t know how she has the energy or the time to do it all, but I’m so proud of her. She’s a true inspiration and breaks the bias for women in a male-orientated industry, like tattooing.
Nithya, Engineering
Our generation is lucky to benefit from the achievements of centuries of activism and modern advancements but unfortunately, there are still illustrations of bias in quality-of-work allocation based on prejudice of one’s abilities. This not only impacts female confidence in choice of career but also motivation to think that they are capable of accepting challenges, which could also lead to imposter syndrome. Thankfully we have many role models to look up to for inspiration. It’s uplifting to be around women who are passionate about their work and shows it’s not impossible for women to achieve their full potential. In addition, working in a supportive environment is crucial to providing a platform for women to contribute equally.
Emma, People
As a working mum of two daughters, I have spent most of my career working in male-dominated environments. It’s not always been easy to have the same mutual respect from male colleagues when it comes to what females can offer in terms of skills and experience. This was especially true when I returned from maternity leave after having my last child — back then I didn’t feel that my role was taken as seriously anymore. This was frustrating at the time because I still knew I had so much to offer even in a part-time role. I believe things have improved but I still think there is a lot to learn. It’s all about education and this comes from having a voice. I’ve been working full time for many years now and luckily things are different. Together we can break the bias!
Smarkets is an equal opportunities employer and takes active steps to prevent bias and discrimination in our interview process. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or gender identity. See our latest job openings here: https://smarkets.com/careers/.
