Sexism continues to have an impact on our workplaces and societies, with women being under-represented in most decision-making positions. In September 2020, according to EIGE’s Gender Statistics Database, 86 % of presidents and prime ministers and 69 % of government ministers in the EU-28 are men [1]. Across the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European...
The Staff Regulations require employees to refrain from behaviour that might reflect adversely on their position and condemn psychological and sexual harassment. Sexual and sex-based harassment are also illegal under EU law. If a staff member faces behaviour they deem to be psychological or sexual harassment, they have access to a formal or an informal procedure. Informal procedure This procedure...
Although our biases can never be eliminated, we can learn to manage them. Here are some ideas on how to do that. 1. Become more self-aware It is easy to ignore our own biases and be mindful of bias in others (‘I’m not biased, it’s my colleagues who have a problem’) [1]. Complete the ‘ Test yourself’ section of this...
This section will present a ten-step programme for management and leadership to start tackling sexism in their organisation. The following section will outline what action all staff can take to implement culture change in their organisation. 1. Check your own awareness on sexism How did you do in the ‘ Test yourself’ section? Ensure your own understanding of sexism and...
Sexual harassment is under-reported, with one UK survey finding that 79 % of targets of sexual harassment in the workplace did not report it [1]. The reasons given for not reporting included: fear that relationships at work would be negatively affected; fear that the report would not be believed or taken seriously; embarrassment; fear of a negative impact on career...
Women Large numbers of women in positions of authority report sexual harassment. In the EU, 75 % of women in top management positions reported experiencing sexual harassment since the age of 15, although this could reflect a greater awareness of sexual harassment law and policy [1]. However, research in the United States found that even when controlling for awareness of...
About a third of women who faced sexual harassment in the EU experienced it in the workplace. Some of the sexist behaviour listed in the Council of Europe recommendation on combating sexism, such as ‘derogatory comments, objectification, sexist humour’ can be categorised as sexual harassment as defined under Article 12a of the Staff Regulations [1]. Additionally, any ongoing pattern of...
Women As stereotypically feminine behaviour is associated with low status and the domestic sphere, women can benefit from adopting stereotypically masculine behaviour at work, showing they ‘have what it takes’ to succeed [1]. However, women who are seen as trying to assert power can face significant penalties [2]. For example, women who behave in a dominant way are less likely...
Professions and pay The perception that women and men have different skills is part of the reason they are concentrated in different professional fields. While women are over-represented in care and pre-primary education, men dominate politics and fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics [1]. Such horizontal gender segregation is partly responsible for the gender pay gap, as fields...
Definition: gender stereotypes Preconceived ideas whereby females and males are arbitrarily assigned characteristics and roles determined and limited by their gender. Source: EIGE [1]. Gender stereotypes underpin sexist behaviour and practices. Gender stereotypes do not need to be hostile to be harmful. Many workplace realities have been shaped by the belief that women and men have complementary characteristics, for example...
Sexism is inefficient Sexist assumptions and practices can hold employees back and channel them into the wrong roles. Women may be shut out of senior positions or diverted into roles seen to require stereotypically ‘feminine’ skills. Men have been found to rapidly leave jobs dominated by women due to social stigma, with some preferring unemployment [1]. This is a waste...
The purpose of this tool is to help you understand how sexism and sexual harassment impact your organisation and what action you can take to create cultural change. You will find advice on next steps in the ‘Act’ section of this handbook. Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to each question. The final total of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers will enable you...