Boxed in
Stereotyping people’s abilities and aptitudes on the basis of gender only serves to frustrate those concerned and deny everyone else the benefits of their talents
I HAD two interesting conversations earlier this week. The first was with a lady called Heather, who moved to Dublin from the US 11 years ago and has spent the past seven years working as a security guard in the financial services industry. She was particularly upset and still reeling from a vicious comment hurled at her while undertaking her morning duties the previous week. The person giving her the tongue lashing was a man who worked in the building she was hired to secure.
“He told me women should not be working in security as the uniform gives us a sense of power,” she explained. “He roared at me, saying we should stay at home where we belong and raise children instead.”
Insulted by this old-hat attitude, Heather said it was not the first time abuse was fired at her throughout the course of her career in security.
“I’ve often been laughed and joked about while doing my rounds because I’m female and working in this role,” she says. “I also find if you get into a debate with these people, it only makes matters worse. At the end of the day, I’m here to do a job, not to be put down because some view it as man’s work.”
A second conversation occurred a few days later with a male friend, who was disappointed and annoyed having had his request for flexible working hours, so he could spend more quality time at home with his children, turned down. As a single father, the option of squeezing his weekly shift into four days rather than five was extremely attractive to him, and after approaching HR and noting how three working mothers in his department availed of flexi-time, he was shocked that his employer viewed his request with scorn. The employer claimed he was behaving in a disloyal and uncommitted manner to both his career progression and role within the company.
These are but two examples of patronising stereotypes that exist between men and women in the Irish workplace and it would seem they are just the tip of the iceberg. So what is the problem?
Niall Crowley, CEO of the Equality Authority, says: “We have to recognise that the Irish workplace still has significant inequality and stereotypical issues among the sexes despite 30 years of ‘gender equality’ in the country. The core stereotypes at play seem to be women being perceived as carers and nurturers, and men being seen as independent aggressive actors in the workplace.
“This perception has three core consequences. The first is how such stereotypes shape employer expectations and the work experience subsequently afforded to men and women; the second is how employers manage flexible working arrangements between both sexes; and the third is the pay, conditions and promotions afforded to each.”
Three’s a crowd
According to a recent report by the Equality for Women Measure, female employees in Ireland currently experience three different dimensions of patronising and stereotypical behaviour in the workplace.
The first is vertical segregation, in which women are under-represented at senior level and in decision-making matters in Irish companies and organisations. The second is horizontal segregation, whereby females are concentrated in certain positions such as nursing, teaching and caring roles. The third is the gender pay gap — women are earning almost 15pc less than their male counterparts. These issues are further heightened when women continue to out-perform men in educational attainment across the country.
So what types of changes need to occur to redress this imbalance and shatter the stereotypical perceptions of male and female employees?
According to Dr Maryann Valiulis, director of the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies at Trinity College Dublin, “Men and women are very talented, but instead of allowing them to use those talents in the workplace, we put them into little boxes. Technically we are gender neutral, but I believe a perception exists whereby when you think of managers or employers, you think of them as being male.
“Some patronising stereotypical perceptions in the workplace include the idea that women who leave their children to go back to work are bad mothers. I speak from experience when I say the guilt is incredible, but we are certainly not bad parents. I also think there is a tradition whereby certain institutions are perceived to be male dominated and their systems are designed purposely to make it inconvenient for more female participation.
“For example, Dáil Eireann has a 13pc female participation rate, and it continues to meet at unsocial hours that may not suit working mothers in terms of flexi-time requirements. Mary O’Rourke TD once famously spoke of how she used to buy a round of drinks for her male colleagues before going home at night, so nobody would notice or complain about her not playing this male-dominated game.”
On the flip side, Valiulis says male stereotyping also occurs in the workplace. “In recent years, there has been a change whereby more men want to participate in child rearing within their family set-up. I believe paid paternity leave would help them do this and knock the imbalance between the sexes back into shape, as more mutual responsibility will occur within the home and at work, meaning more women can realise their professional ambitions.”
Crowley says: “Stereotypes are a culturally understated phenomenon that becomes visible when assumptions are made in the workplace.” He adds: “I believe this can also impact on male participation in terms of limiting the career choices they make. The lack of men in the caring profession is a blatant example of this.
“Going forward, employers and employees have to individually and institutionally look to break down stereotypes within the workplace, so these false assumptions no longer limit the choices we make, regardless of whether they are about men or women.”
All things being equal
Niall Crowley of the Equality Authority says employees should be aware there are some exceptions to the rule when it comes to males or females applying for roles in certain sectors of the workforce. “Some occupational requirements exist whereby an employee is exempt from applying for a role based on their sex, but this usually relates to areas of privacy or service provisions that are gender based.”
He points out, however, that stereotyping is not just confined to gender in terms of the problems it creates in the workplace. These patronising perceptions also occur among minority groups, such as older employees, homosexuals, disabled employees and foreign nationals.
Crowley says: “The key for employees is to be aware of their rights under employment equality legislation and the broad scope of the Equality Act. If they feel they are being discriminated against on the grounds of stereotyping in the workplace, they should contact their human resources departments, unions, the Equality Authority or seek legal advice.”
Avenues an employer can pursue for help in eradicating stereotyping at work include:
The Equal Opportunities Framework Committee, which has put equality and diversity training strategies and policies in place to encourage employers to support their employees and help them remain in the workplace.
The National Framework Committee for Work Life Balance Policies, a social partnership that is chaired by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and representatives from IBEC and ICTU. It was established to support small to medium-sized organisations in developing and implementing work-life balance policies for employees.
The committee also provides valuable information on flexible hours and leave arrangements (including paternity rights); reduced working time (such as job sharing and part-time hours); and flexible locations (which covers e-working and virtual teams). See www.worklifebalance.ie for more information.
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- Barbara Harding
