Words by Jamie Tolentino-Deludet
Illustration by Brent Sabas
Gender bias has been an issue in the workplace since the time when women were allowed to work. From wage gaps to perception through to top management positions, women are perceived to be at a disadvantage. Whilst our personal efforts might not solve this issue on a grand scale, one does not want to be perceived to be practicing this gender bias. So here are some tips on how to actively be more gender inclusive in your professional life, especially in the digital workplace.
Choose more inclusive language
When addressing a team, choose words that are gender neutral. If your team is mostly male and there is one woman, when you use adjectives that are male, she will definitely notice. This applies to video conferences, voice conferences, group chats and group emails. Just because you may be using a more informal channel of communication like a Slack channel or Skype doesn’t mean that you are off the hook.
Research the gender of the person before talking to them
One of the benefits of the digital workplace is that you can work with someone on the other side of the globe. However, this means the gender of the person you are meeting might not be as obvious as you don’t have the physical cues you get from a face to face meeting. If in doubt, always google the person and figure out their gender before you address them. They could have a social profile with a picture or description that is telling of their gender. This may be fairly basic but is quite embarrassing when you get their gender wrong especially if their name is unisex. I have been mistaken for a guy a couple of times, and whilst I am used to it now, it’s not a comfortable position to be in.
Be aware of stereotypical bias
Don’t see someone as incompetent if someone is not in a traditionally male or female role. STEM roles are traditionally male dominated, so you shouldn’t assume that a female in that role is incompetent or behaves in a tomboy-ish manner. Similarly, you shouldn’t judge if the team assistant or personal assistant is male. In the professional environment, one should be judged on their work output, not the stereotypical perceptions that have historically shaped their industry or line of work.
About the Author:
Jamie Tolentino-Deludet works as a digital marketer at a global asset management firm. She writes for TNW (The Next Web) and blogs on the Huffington Post UK.
This article was published in the adobo magazine Gender 2017 issue.
