The BEAUTY and the BEAST . . .
GENDER STEREOTYPES AT WORK
Presented by…
DENNIS & MOONYEEN
How many MEN does it take to change a toilet roll?
DIFFERENT v
BETTER
Who wants to come back as…?
Not fruity
Guilty as charged?
P- Platers…
Short men…
Lawyers...
Politicians
Definition
Stereotypes are… generalisations about a group of people whereby we attribute a defined set of characteristics to a group.
How people think …
For the 1st time in the history of our species,
men and women are
confused about their job descriptions.
New male role models
Newfemalerole models
WE share 98.4% of our
DNA with Chimps
At the primal level our behaviours are determined by millions of years of evolution
WOMEN gatherMEN hunt
The times they are a’ changing…
Redefining the male image from this…
And this…
… to this
… and this
And every TRADITIONAL MAN’s view of the ideal WOMAN
… is being stretched
… challenged
Male or Female?
Our current idea for a swashbuckling pirate...
Who would you rather have your daughter bring home?
Who would you choose to go into battle with?
WHY?Moonyeen
It is ALL in the MIND
MALE
FEMALE
The brain
wiring quiz
ResultsHow to score the testFirst, add the number of A, B and C responses and use the following table to arrive at your final result.
For malesNumber of A’s X 10 points=Number of B’s X 5 points=Number of C’s X -5 points=
Total points=
For femalesNumber of A’s X 15 points=Number of B’s X 5 points=Number of C’s X -5 points=
Total points=For any questions where answers didn’t accurately reflect your life or you left them blank, award yourself five points
Excluding obvious physical differences, are women and men
different from each other?
The physical differences
The differences quantified
12cm shorter
hips 8cm smaller
13 kilos heavier
78% > becoming blind
2.7 x more accidents
3 x more migraines
< body water (52% v. 61%)
Women are smarter than men. How do you explain…
Diamonds & Dogs?
The NUMBER ONE behaviour or trait
of the OPPOSITE SEX that ANNOYS YOU
Managerial traits: stereotyped
AGGRESSION
SUPPORTIVE
INTUITION
AUTHORITARIAN
ASSERTIVE
COLLABORATIVE
The GAMES we play
Turn-takingDevelop empathyFlexible rules
CompetitiveLearn independenceGroup-orientated
The ART of Communication
Communication elements
Females: 20,000 : MALES 7,000
Sensory equipment
Spherical dominance
NOD of the head
At meetings women nod their head to show they are listening.
At meetings men only nod their heads when they agree.
Women can't delegate.
Women are more passive.
Women don't want to get their hands dirty.
Women don't speak up
Women try to empathise with everyone.
Women take things too personally
Research: Female stereotypes
Research: Male stereotypes
Men are aggressive & too competitive
Men are good at science and math
Men are born to lead.
Men are dismissive and don't listen.
Men criticise others rudely
Men have no regard for feelings.
The FACTS of life
Success in new workplace needs traditionally feminine qualities (Kanter, Mintzberg, Peters).
The FACTS of life
Male and female agree about the characteristics of a successful manager (no sex specified),
but disagree about the characteristics of a successful FEMALE manager. Brenner, Tomkiewicz, & Schein
The FACTS of life
Males hold more negative views of female managers: they consider them to be bitter, deceitful, or frivolous.Williams and Best
The FACTS of life
Men are more often hired,
even with the same background and capabilities as the females (Heilman, Van Vianen & Willemsen).
The FACTS of life
Men earn more (8%) than females in the same job(ABS 2005).
The FACTS of life
Women who do not act in accordance with the feminine stereotype are evaluated negatively (Fiske & Stevens, 1993).
Traditional Male
Sales growth, market share
Profitability , shareholders
Traditional Female
97 % customer satisfaction, 92% employee satisfaction, company culture,
then traditional goals
Market watch: 215 women head firms in Massachusetts
The FACTS of lifeBusiness Focus
Board positions
8.2 %
Women CEOs
1% (2)
Companies with no executive female managers
52.6%
2002 – Equal opportunity for women in the workplace research
The FACTS of life
Business as an area of study:
2001 – 56.5% females studying business
2003 – 27% females studying business
Girls – make work a better place
Boys - study to make money
Career development:
Focus on your strengths as individuals. Financial Times: 45 Business schools in Europe
The FACTS of life
Women breaking through
Define goals & priorities
Build relationship with authority figure
Ask & use feedback
Improve credibility: tough/ visible assignments
Networking…
Is it any different?
Benefits of DIVERSE work places
More innovation
Loyalty improved
Absenteeism reduced
Productivity increased
Response to diverse market place
The results of the brain wiring quiz…
Results300 High Feminine
180
150
0 High Masculine
How to CHANGE stereotyping
Raise awareness
Create cognitive dissonance
Change-manage the environment
Set consistent examples
Diversity training
Reinforce/ Reward
Celebrate & Communicate