When talking about the workplace, equality and inclusion are no longer far away. Today’s global corporate arena is thriving since taking the leap into the diverse talent pool. No longer a single-box to tick, we now know that gender parity increases creativity and unlocks productivity, which leads to business success.
The time is now long due to expose and challenge the myths that hold women back from achieving equal representation at all levels of the value chain. Globally at P&G we have been doing some foundational work to understand what these myths are and deliberately challenge them. These are myths that we find perpetuated through society and reinforced through generations.
It is time to generate a new narrative and playbook with visibility and knowledge-power so we can truly accelerate progress towards a more prosperous future.
Here are four ways to break the bias and write a new narrative.
Leadership myth
Many conversations start with the premise that we need to “fix the women”: women do not speak up enough, they are not confident enough, do not show the right leadership skills, they are not being assertive etc.
It is the narrative of “lack”, that there is something missing that needs to be fixed, when the reality is that what we need to do instead is fix the system. This is the definition of leadership, policies, career and equal opportunity, and it is not restricted by bias.
Unfortunately, leadership through the years has been represented only by stereotypical male characteristics whereas, in reality, there are many kinds of leadership: leadership by influence, leadership through learning as well as leadership through assertion. We need to expand this definition.
The Pipeline Myth
It’s commonly understood that C-suite teams are predominantly male because corporations don’t have sufficient female talent to fill those roles. The truth is, all it takes to bust this myth is simple math.
The pipeline is full of qualified women who want big jobs but several reports indicate that it would take nearly a 100 years for the current gender gap to close. This inequality has a profound impact on the talent pipeline.
Women earn more advanced degrees than men in more than 100 countries, and yet they continue to be underrepresented. For instance, 77 percent of Emirati women enrol in higher education after secondary school and make up 70 percent of all university graduates in the UAE.
Close to 56 percent of UAE government university graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are women.
At P&G we have achieved 50-50 representation at all levels, and in the UAE, we have over 51 percent of women in senior management.
Children and housework are a woman’s job
This last myth is that women are the ones who own the primary responsibility for home and family, and that men don’t care for an equal role at home.
We know that both men and women deal with the stress of balancing pressures at home and work. In a recent employee survey, we asked our people an open-ended question about what they value most in a company, and the top answers were remarkably similar. “Work-life balance” and “time for my family” consistently rose to the top – for both men and women.
This became more and more palpable during the pandemic. Earlier last year, we launched our Share the Care policy, which established the global minimum for paid paternity leave, creating the opportunity for men to take paternity leave right from Day 1. Also launched across our UAE and Saudi Arabia offices, the policy sets eight weeks of fully paid parental leave and offers both parents time with new children, as well as share and support in caregiving duties.
Now that we know about the myths – there are two key roles we need to play – one as individuals and the other as companies with influence:
- Acknowledge these myths – because only when we acknowledge bias or myths can we move on from it and correct perceptions.
- Leverage our scale – As companies that have influence, we cannot limit to what we do within our companies, but we need to extend our influence and empowerment externally too.
Gender equality is the right vision. A vision that can be achieved only by creating an equitable world. This starts with reprogramming against myths that hold us back. Debunking myths means bridging equity with equality and watch them flourish on a new narrative that can inspire generations of women and girls to be actors of change for progress and prosperity.
Deepa Vaidyanathan, senior communications director – Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa at Procter & Gamble
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