Stereotypes in business: how to get rid of them?

For more than 15 years now, Talentis has been interested in the subject of the development of female talent in organizations. Today, we are still far from reaching the limit since only a few rare companies are mixed at the level of Comex and management committees, 15 to 20% on average in the various companies, and there is still a lot of work to be done.

Among the actions that Talentis carries out, there are of course actions that concern managers, actions that concern talented women. And among these actions that concern everyone, because gender diversity concerns everyone, The subject that is important to us is the awareness of the impact of gender stereotypes on our daily lives in companies.

How do gender stereotypes bias the decisions made on a daily basis and the ways of being in a relationship with colleagues, customers or providers?

Corporate stereotype: what is it?

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Being aware of the stereotypes that surround us is a way to get rid of them, or at least partially deactivate them. We are going to discover these different stereotypes, but first of all, what is important to know is what is a stereotype? A stereotype is a way of generalizing some characteristics to an entire group of people without taking into account the specificities of each individual. For example: “Well, he's a German. He likes order and discipline. Look, he's an American. It's easy to start a conversation with him on the bus again.”

The problem with stereotypes is that it is very partially true because it is biased, because entering into a relationship with a German or an American by saying he is already like that is not going to meet the person in his uniqueness, and also to stick a label to yourself by saying to yourself: “I am of such nationality, so I am of such nationality, I am therefore like this, I am of such sex, so I am like that.” This is about self-limiting and self-censoring.

Stereotyping also means naming or promoting someone based on their gender rather than their potential and results.

What are the stereotypes about women in business?

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Positive stereotypes

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Talentis has been working with businesses for 15 years and we are noticing that the same stereotypes are always coming back. We observe positive stereotypes about women, that is to say: “Women are better managers than men”, but nothing proves it. Moreover, there are a lot of studies that prove that there are as many good managers among men as among women. “Ah, women are more organized, more rigorous than men. Ah, women are more empathetic than men.”, these are positive stereotypes, but you will see that one after the other is false.

Negative stereotypes

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And when it comes to negative stereotypes about women, what are they? “They lack ambition.”, “If they are not in high positions, it is because they do not want to.”, “They are not going to be available because they are going to take care of the children”... However, all this is never verified.

And then, the most serious negative stereotypes for women are that they are the opposite of stereotypes of men. That is to say? The more a woman has a career, the more negative stereotypes she will have about being a career player. So there are all sorts of categories of negative stereotypes.

And for men?

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But men also have positive and negative stereotypes that are a problem for them. The positive stereotypes about men are that they are leaders, they know how to drive, they are charismatic, they are available... And then, the negative stereotypes about them are “less serious for them”, in the sense that they are less likely than women. “They tend to be a bit more individualistic.”, “They tend to be a bit more individualistic.”, “They tend to be a little bit more individualistic.”, “They tend to be a little bit more individualistic.”, “They tend to be a bit more outspoken.” Courage.”... Essentially, these are the three characteristics of negative stereotypes about men that stand out most often in the somewhat clumsy spontaneity of the exchanges.

How do you get rid of these stereotypes?

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So it is up to all of us and especially managers to tell us: “Am I putting myself in the category of stereotypes when I am making a decision on a promotion, on remuneration, on recruitment? Am I really basing myself on the person in front of me? ”. It is up to us to check with this person his ambition, his motivation, his availability, rather than allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by our preconceived ideas.

The good news about stereotypes is that by the time they come to our awareness, they are already half deactivated, so it is up to all of us to think carefully about the stereotypes that surround us, especially at work, and to do what is necessary to eliminate them.

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