Performance bias is extremely common, particularly in the workplace. There are countless scenarios I could have used for today's walkthrough, but I went with this one because I think we’ve all seen it happen before, whether in the classroom/workplace, on television, or in many other areas of daily life. Let’s get right into it!
Say you witness a situation where a male boss consistently questions a female worker’s knowledge of something firmly in her expertise, or assumes he understands her area better than she does. It may not bode well for you to question your boss, but if he is clearly not listening to the woman stand up for herself, you should support the woman by highlighting her expertise. You can say something like, “You may not know this, but __ (her name) is our resident expert on the topic” or “__ (her name) actually wrote a report about this last year.” Longer term, consider making a more concerted effort to highlight the expertise of all the women on your team—not only in the moment, but regularly. Seek their insights in meetings and point people with relevant questions in their direction. Though you pointing these things out may do enough, you can also make an effort to lay it out clearly. So here’s a possible way to do so: “People tend to overestimate men’s performance and underestimate women’s. As a result, they are more likely to doubt women’s competence and question their judgment. Moments like this add up: women are twice as likely as men to have their competence questioned at work. Over time, it can make the women themselves feel less happy in their jobs and more likely to consider leaving. We need to trust that women are just as qualified as men to do their jobs.” Hope this was helpful! I’ll be back with another one in two days.
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Neha SaggiFounder and director of LeadHERship. Archives
March 2021
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