Gender bias In the workplace: Consulting for equality

Gender Bias is the unequal treatment or perception of a person due to their gender, leading to a reduction in opportunities and essentially a glass ceiling in many women’s career trajectories. This is seen through unconscious biases, stereotypes, and discriminatory practices in the workplace. 

Despite the progress to combat this effort in first world countries, there is still a huge gender and equality gap in the rest of the world. In this article, we delve into the issue from amanagement consulting perspective, aiming to explore its depths and propose solutions. 

Women may face challenges such as being overlooked for promotions, receiving lower compensation for their work, and encountering barriers to accessing leadership positions. When hearing from 20 Turkish women leaders, a common observation across the board is feeling undervalued, marginalised, and unable to fully contribute their skills and talents.

Notably, companies with over 30% women executives tend to outperform those with fewer women leaders, showcasing the benefits of diversity and inclusivity. However, G20 companies only allocate 5.5% of chair seats to women, highlighting the need for change. 

Let’s dive into this further through an example. Bain and Company conducted research on female leadership through a series of interviews, with women across various industries, with the aim to catalyse positive transformations in Turkey's business environment.

In 2023, Turkey ranked 124 out of 146 in their gender equality. A highly pressing problem found was the societal norms and traditional gender roles that limit women's access to leadership positions and opportunities for professional advancement. For 12 of our 20 research participants, long-term success for women means making trade-offs. Women leaders have to prioritise and deprioritise aspects of their lives, with motherhood standing out as a key moment of truth. The simple fact that women may need maternity leave creates the unconscious bias and keeps women from getting promotions – termed ‘the motherhood penalty’. 

This case simply proved a skewed understanding of what it means to have equality. Women are more heavily involved in childbearing, that is the biology of it. But asking for equality does not have anything to do with how women are physiologically, it is about cerebral equality, to be able to get the promotion or be the CEO, to be able to get the opportunity because of our competency, not our gender. 

How can consultants provide solutions? 

Using this instance, let’s implement Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) DEI consulting team framework. There are 5 metrics used: recruitment, retention, advancement, representation, and pay. After a thorough analysis of the issue in a company, they would determine the right interventions in order to address the gaps. We can divide our solutions into two categories: proven measures and hidden gems. 

1. Proven Measures 

Anti-discrimination policies: While countries like Italy, Germany, and Greece have laws requiring gender quotas for listed companies and penalties for non-compliance, Turkey does not have such legal requirements for gender ratios in its listed companies. This is the first step to a fair workplace. By establishing a 50-50 candidate pool for promotions and recruitment, diversity and equality is enhanced. 

Flexible working models: The rise in remote working opportunities and flexible schedules has the potential to revolutionise the way maternity leave agreements are made, and the creation of paternity leave to support the parental burdens felt at that time. These concepts aren’t familiar to less western countries, so there is a huge gap for improvement and culture change here. 

Scalable mentorship/sponsorship programs: Specifically for 3rd world countries, mentorship programs allow women more premature in their journey to connect with those in leadership positions, with means to inspire and encourage ambition in young women, to spread the message that women don’t have to choose between work and family, they can do both. 

2. Hidden Gems 

Visible Role Models: Seeing women in higher positions who have been through their struggles is uplifting. It is important to see that advancement is possible. 

Eliminating Biases in Evaluations and Promotions: By removing identifying personal information, gender-blind shortlists are created, giving each candidate an equal chance. Many companies can also conduct formal training for employees to work on their unconscious biases and pre-existing stereotypes. 

Creating Networking Opportunities for Women: Networking platforms foster a robust sense of connection and enhance the retention of women in middle management roles. 

Consulting firms play a pivotal role in helping organisations navigate these complex issues, offering tailored solutions, best practices, and actionable strategies to foster a more equitable and inclusive workplace environment. Through DEI consulting initiatives, companies can not only mitigate the risks associated with gender bias but also unlock the full potential of their workforce, driving innovation, and sustainable growth. 

Though these issues were shown in Turkey only here, they impact millions of women worldwide. The more awareness we can generate around the topic, the better we are able to create a culture where there is importance on diversity and inclusion, and the more women are able to be heard.