The gender gap: Cultural shifting, the right and wrong way to forge new paths

This subject can be met with many an opinion, which vary with, gender, age and ethnicity. So how can such a hard-hitting subject be dealt with when the response throughout a business is so varied. Well, there is no hard or fast rule for this, which we have seen through slow and painful progression for Women coming up the career ladder. Progression has often been impeded by the motives of gender gap closing that it has often been lost in the hiring pool within some companies. This impediment has only added to the ideology of how a Woman has gained a position in which she has stepped into. Roles that have been earned and won have now an undertone of questioning achievement which can lead to resentment and animosity throughout teams and structures, creating further work for a Woman to prove herself in a role she has already fought incredibly hard for. Now, you may be reading this wondering where on earth these kinds of situations occur in, and if that is the case then you are either one of the fortunate ones whose company culture is present and aware, or you have buried your head so far in the sand that you cannot see daylight, but this unfortunately is an issue and is the case in some sectors and businesses and even at different levels of the same business. Hence forth the difficulty in creating a shift in opinion throughout every level.

The answer to solving this riddle of stigma is through adaptation of tailor-made education suitable for each level of the business, understanding background of people and ultimately opening conversations without repercussions. Because people are scared, they are scared to share their opinion with worry of offending by saying the wrong thing, but they are never told what the right or respectable thing is. A lot of the issues facing this topic comes from (as most issues) lack of the right communication. Most are not aware of the stigma around Women in some business and do not understand the hurdles placed in front of them from unconscious bias in the workplace. So why can’t we talk about it, why has it become so taboo to speak and voice your opinion to say, “I don’t understand the issue”. We as a western culture has become so blameful and sensitive that we have lost the purpose in which it was created. Blame and embarrassment for someone who is not educated to another’s needs or belief should not be penalised, it should be taught as it would be for a child without understanding. Because with this open and honest dialect I can see friendships and respect harboured on both sides of the spectrum that will finally create a closure of these gaps and help to break down the walls that have been built.

This education must come from the ground up in this case, as the top-down approach, I do not believe would work in this topic, due to the out of touch reality from the ivory tower; again, I am not proposing this is every business, however, a lot can certainly relate I am sure. The work in education and honesty must come from the grass roots level, without prejudice, working its way upwards so that the culture in built within a business has an ethos of everyone has a voice and will be listened to and respected is engrained in its foundations. This communication and education can have a real shift in the balance and create the understanding that is so desperately needed, so that everyone is rooting for their teammate regardless of their differences and they are celebrating their wins knowing that positions have been earned fairly because of that person’s skill and ability and not because they believe they have achieved it as a box ticker.