Gender stereotypes which work against men

A recent comment by a colleague set me thinking. Case in point was the new Havell's ad campaign with the tag line- I am not a kitchen appliance. The message being, stop treating women like they are there to serve you.

A lot is being said about this series and its been doing its rounds in the social media sites. One of the comments quite common comes from men, young men, unfortunately, is this- what about men- are they expected to work outside the house and come back and cook as well, while women will put their feet up and relax and use their husband as an ATM and also force him to make his dinner? (All actual quotes made by various people on the website).

However, the company has not meant this ad to appeal to every socio economic class.My bai wont buy a Havell's coffee maker or a juicer. It is definitely targeted at the upwardly mobile young educated urban woman (or man) who are working and tending to home at the same time, and super stressed about how to manage it all. Ask me!

My colleague had said that men are targeted in stereotypes as well, only men dont get to speak up. And that got me thinking. And then I came across this video from March 2014:
http://www.france24.com/en/20140307-interview-anne-marie-slaughter-new-america-foundation-international-womens-day-work-career-balance/

Here Anna Marie Slaughter talks about women and fair workplace practices and among other things that, "If there’s to be true equality among the sexes then the next phase of the women’s movement needs to be a men’s movement, says noted American feminist, Anne-Marie Slaughter. As we mark International Women’s Day, Men should not be stigmatised if they take time off work to raise children." (France24.com)

Hence, men being ATM is not exactly the stereotype that men should be fighting against. That is still directed against women. They should be fighting against this- that men are the bread earners while their women can stay at home either to study, or to take care of the house, or as primary care givers to their children.

Men have equal right to take a sabbatical especially as young dads. Why is it a social norm that women take maternity leave and many dont get back to work in order to take care of the child, but the man has to work, no matter what! Often, as in my husbands case, that work meant he didnt and still does not see his daughter for days. He out before she is awake and in after she has slept. I have often heard him say that he wishes I had a job which could sustain us, so that he could take a year off and really concentrate on the growth and development of his child. And that, readers, is a fundamental human right!

So I say this to all young men, speak up! Today! Before it is too late and you have spent your life slogging in an office realising only when your child has grown, that you have missed the golden years. If your partner has a job which can sustain the family, by all means, take time off. Dont go by social norms set by a traditional mindset which is not relevant any more. Take the Parental Sabbatical which till now is a mostly female domain. See your child grow and be a part of that!

Go ahead even if you are not a dad. If you wish to get that MBA, or if you want to hone your photographic skills, or if you have a great idea for a novel- go ahead and take time off. There should not be any stigma attached to it just because you are a man! 

Gender free job applications: Does it really work?

Here is a question for women job seekers: Does putting your gender in your CV immediately reduce your worth?
Many experts think so. Women are certainly under valued in most industries around the world, and equal pay still seems a distant dream. So often a women with equal credentials and equal job experiences with a man will end up short changed in the salary department.
So some companies came up with a novel idea. Just remove gender from your CV.
This will put all CVs immediately at par and there will not be scope for discrimination, they say. However, I have a question. The job is not given, nor salaries decided, looking at the CV of a person. This is done post a meeting. So when the interview panel meets a group of relevant "equal" candidates, some male some female, what is to stop them making the same mistake of hiring the female candidate at lower salaries, or even rejecting the female candidate prematurely.
Here is another article on the topic I really loved. As this says, it is "almost great".

Gender-free job applications? It's almost a great idea- Sara Musgrave

I’m looking to go back to work.

To that end, I saw a head hunter yesterday. I’ve been out of the market for a while now (having chosen to start a family) and I wanted some advice about what I suspected might not be an easy "re-entry". I work in finance, and before relocating back to Sydney managed to claw my way up the greasy pole to become a partner within my company in London.

The headhunter was very helpful. “These days, it’s all about cultural fit,” he insisted. “Sure, everyone shortlisted might be able to do the job,” he said, but “are they the right fit for the organisation? Will they contribute to the prevailing culture? That’s what the CEO really wants to know.” He raised my CV. “And you won’t find that in here.” He smiled. “It’s reading between the lines that really matters and that’s where I come in.“

I smiled back. Absolutely. "Fit", I get it, "the prevailing temperament…" I twisted my wedding ring. "It’s of paramount importance. Especially in finance."

But what does "cultural fit" actually mean? Is it really just a euphemism for being able to make employment decisions based on cultural issues rather than merit?

Later that day, something about the conversation played on my mind. And it wasn’t until I read about the radical new action being taken by the Bank of Queensland (BoQ) that I realised what it was.

The Bank of Queensland announced yesterday that it will remove gender from resumes under a new measure aimed at boosting the number of executive women in its workforce. BoQ human resources general Manager Ian Doyle said all identifying factors – name, age, gender, address – would be removed from resumes submitted for senior roles in the hope of getting a “stronger pool of females coming through.”

Bank of Queensland chief executive Stuart Grimshaw said the banking sector has one of the largest pay gaps between men and women, and an internal survey found Bank of Queensland matched the industry’s gap of about 30%. “I have a son and two daughters,” he said and “I want to create a positive change within the industry where everyone has the same opportunities to succeed.”

Sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick said the initiative was “quite revolutionary.” It’s worth noting here that this initiative didn’t happen in a vacuum. Elizabeth Broderick and Stuart Grimshaw have form. In April 2010, Broderick was instrumental in bringing together some of Australia’s most influential and diverse male CEOs and chairpersons to form the Male Champions of Change group. The group aims to use its influence to bring women’s leadership issues to the national business agenda. Stuart Grimshaw is a male champion of change in Queensland; other members include the head of Woolworths, Qantas, ANZ, the Commonwealth Bank and David Jones. The boys are doing some good work; you can read their 2013 report here.

What the Bank of Queensland is doing is fantastic. Gender bias is real, whether it’s conscious or unconscious. Therefore removing gender from CVs will remove the gender bias. Problem sorted, right?

Well, maybe not. Because when I think about my CV, I immediately begin to worry about the three year gap between the years of 2009 and 2012. When it all comes to an abrupt halt and there is just a big, white space on the right hand side of the CV instead of the name of a blue chip company name and the title of "partner". I worry about what my prospective employer will say about that. All that time out of the market. All those lost client relationships.

But then I raise my head defiantly, and write in “chose to stay at home full time and take care of my child", quickly followed by “but now I want to come back to the corporate world full-time.” I add that I have “100% child care facilities in place” and am “ready/willing/able to work regardless of whether the job goes into the evening or weekend”.

What else can I say? That’s the real elephant in the room. And calling me Samuel instead of Sara isn’t going to change that. Not all women have a gap on their CV. I get that. But a lot do, and unless we can think up a way of addressing that, anonymously taking gender off the CV is little more than lip service. As the head hunter said, it’s the reading between the lines that really counts.

By the way, after meeting with the head hunter yesterday, I took off my wedding ring. I’m not really married. I’m actually a single mum, but I’m not stupid enough to tell him that.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/08/gender-free-job-applications-its-almost-a-great-idea?CMP=soc_567