From the FDRIO Conference: Workplaces Need Inclusive Leaders to Break Through Implicit Bias

“Any [image] of a person in a kitchen was labelled a woman. What horrified them was what the future implications are of that. So, if a robot goes into a kitchen and doesn’t know why the person is there, they will offer a beer to a man and they will offer help with the chores to the woman. That’s gender bias, robot style,” she explained, noting that a human’s fast processing is a lot like image software recognition.

Fromm said when a human brain is fast processing it’s picking up subtle associations and coming to conclusions.

“Think about gender,” she said, adding that by 2 years old, children can “associate objects with sex or gender: male or female. Briefcase; male. Broom; female. By age 6 months they can identify sex: male or female. This is very important in terms of the gender bias. It is relentless, and it starts very early.”

“We find associations and we create stereotypes,” explained Fromm, noting that if just one element of a stereotype exists people immediately see the whole stereotype.

“That’s how unconscious bias arises and impacts our perception,” she added.

These implicit biases help inform gender messages such as “boys don’t cry” and “girls aren’t bossy.” Fromm stressed that people need to disrupt behaviour when bias presents itself in order to make a real change.

“Become aware. Most people are biased, you can be biased and not act on it, so begin to act. Help change perspectives. Challenge bias, name it, question it, correct it. Support unrepresented groups. Create environments that foster diversity and inclusion,” she suggested.

Fromm said that people should try and recognize “blind spots” at work, where bias occurs and it’s not necessarily noticed or challenged because of ingrained assumptions. Inclusive leadership, she noted, goes a long way in identifying blind spots and changing social norms.

Subtle bias is more damaging than overt, she explained. “Calling someone ‘Climate Barbie’, everyone can scoff at it, but it’s not as damaging as the drip, drip, drip of some of these other things, like less informal feedback, being interrupted, not being invited to important meetings, left out of the information loop, lack of support. These are some of the subtle things that happen in terms of gender biases.”

Gender bias can also be perpetrated in the workforce through “microaggression.” Small, subtle, negative messages that are not intended, such as “you’re just like one of the guys.”

“I got that a lot in law firms. I took it as a compliment, but what is the implication if you take it further? (Women are less valuable) and to be one of the guys is important because that’s one up,” Fromm said.

“If you’re not sure if it’s a sexist comment, go with the reverse. ‘You’re just one of the gals.’ In a male dominated environment that would be considered an insult,” she explained.

Fromm said that gender programming, which instills different values, starts in childhood and can impact how we progress through the workplace.

For example, “for most women power is dead even. That’s the value that we have, we share power. For men, power is hierarchical. That comes through everything: negotiation, communication, presence, even in how we’re taught to value relationships. Boys are taught that achievement and success are important.”

Communication is a big area where gender values present themselves, Fromm stressed.