Certainly, in the Western world, the female race and the feminist movement have come an incredibly long way from the 1920s and earlier.
As much as attitudes have on the whole dramatically shifted, if even one woman within a particular company is experiencing sexuality discrimination in the workplace, this is still one woman too many. With this in mind, here are some sensible and practical ways to counteract any modern-day sexism that you may experience in the office.
Work to Maintain a Safe Environment
A psychologically positive environment in the office isn’t something that’s going to be achieved overnight, but if you’re the manager, leader, or even a department head within the office set-up, then you’re in the perfect position to help to cultivate one.
As a leader, make sure that you’re as authentic, open, and honest as your work permits, and that you lead by example by sharing your feelings in a constructive manner, being careful of the words you use, to ensure that everyone knows their own thoughts are valid.
Prepare Some Witty Snapbacks
Sometimes, the person making the sexist comment, especially if they’ve never previously let themselves down in this way, may be simply unaware that it could cause offense. In these situations, the following ideas are great ways of calling out and deflecting idiotic, one-off comments:
- Condescendingly blame the comment on generational differences
- Pretend that you don’t get the joke and make them explain it in front of everyone
- Reflect their comment back on them
Speak Up
Even though one person may have a vastly different opinion of what constitutes sexism and what’s merely harmless banter, the fact is that in a professional setting, everyone regardless of gender, race, culture, size, or job role deserves and requires absolute respect at all times.
If you witness your employee, a colleague or even your boss act in an inappropriate way in the office or cast a throwaway comment that’s degrading to women, staying silent is akin to being sexist yourself.
Make sure that you report the incident or, depending on your job role and place in the hierarchical structure, certainly find your voice and speak up about what you know is wrong.
Dress for Yourself
Dress for yourself, not how you think you should be dressing for your job role, or for other people. Whether you’re the manager of the entire company, or else an intern who’s keen to learn everything you possibly can about the industry you want to enter, what you wear should have absolutely no bearing on how you’re perceived.
Though high-quality and chic, back in the day, male leaders and managers would never dream of wearing house shoes for men in the office and would always wear a three-piece suit. But now, as workplace norms evolve and comfort gains importance, professional attire has become more flexible, allowing for greater comfort and self-expression. If you, as a female manager, feel as if when you dress the part, you embody the part, then go right ahead and invest in a tailored suit or two, but if you feel comfortable in more casual clothing, then this is entirely acceptable, too.
