This text is part of the special International Women’s Day booklet
Despite changes in the world of work, the ideal employee remains a man. And not just any man: preferably that of the model of the 1950s. Why can we say such a thing and above all, how to arrive at changes? We discuss it with Claudine Mangen, professor at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University.
A meeting at 7:30 a.m.? Or at 5 p.m.? Why not ? Such was life at the beginning of the XXand century with the men who built the world of work while the women took care of the children. “It wasn’t bad faith, but society was based on a sexual division of labor at the time and there were no women in the workplace, not even a women’s toilet! illustrates Claudine Mangen who conducted, with her colleague from Concordia University Sophie Audousset-Coulier, interviews in 2017 and 2018 with 32 women members of boards of directors to measure how the masculine ideal persists in the workplace.
Of course, the system has evolved, but the fact remains that it was designed by men and for men… of the XXand century.
Today, it is not only women who suffer from it. “The ideal employee is not only a man, specifies the researcher, but a man who is not involved in the lives of his children, who has a certain skin color, a certain physique, a certain way of thinking, etc. . The more the person moves away from this mould, the more they will be penalized in the world of work,” she reveals.
The price to pay for flexibility
In the interviews, the researchers heard different testimonies that show problems right from the recruitment stage where, for example, it is systematically thought that the young woman will become pregnant and go on maternity leave. However, she may not want a child. “Then, the young man could also become a dad, but we will assume that his wife will take care of the baby,” says Claudine Mangen.
The numbers don’t prove recruiters wrong. According to Statistics Canada, in 2015, women spent 3.9 hours a day doing household chores and caring for children compared to 2.4 hours for men. “It’s a huge difference even if there has been a big evolution over time,” says the researcher.
This pressure pushes women to find different solutions to get everything done. Like telecommuting. Moreover, with the pandemic, telework has been generalized and even if several companies maintained it, at least in part, that does not mean that we can take advantage of it without being penalized.
“The bosses will not say it openly, but in reality, when we think of employees who ask for flexible hours and telework, we think of mothers,” says Claudine Mangen. Men who wish to take advantage of these measures to have more time to take care of their children or a loved one are seen as less invested in their work. »
These decisions are not without impact on performance evaluations and promotions. By the way, how do we define performance? Should you always be physically present at work and not count your hours to better crush the competition? “We have to ask ourselves whether men have an easier time meeting the performance criteria than women,” says the professor. There is often a great deal of bias in the performance appraisal and promotion processes. »
How to change the system?
If these findings are annoying, changes are difficult to obtain because it is against a whole system that we must fight. “Everything is intertwined: if a woman does more chores at home, it’s often because her partner is in an inflexible work environment,” explains Claudine Mangen. What can he do? Change jobs to hope to find one where the biases are less present? This is not obvious. Talk to management to try to change the structure? He risks being stigmatized. »
Hence the importance of talking openly about these issues in society. “Very few people are aware of these realities,” says the researcher. We tell ourselves that the laws are neutral, but we interpret them without disregarding the world in which we live. And this world, it is gendered. »
However, people in decision-making positions can make progress. “Already, being aware of the problem and having the will to change is a big step forward,” notes the professor. Then, we must evaluate the different processes such as recruitment, performance evaluation and promotions and see how we can make them less gendered. »
It is, neither more nor less, about working to make the world fairer. “Because it’s deeply unfair, she adds, that workplaces penalize anyone who doesn’t fit the mold. »