Changing Perceptions: One More Reason We Must Not Ignore Men

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

A recent survey by Opportunity Now, a UK-based group working as part of the non-profit organization Business in the Community, showed that men are seriously in the dark about the challenges women face in the workplace.

Helen Wells, Acting Director of Opportunity Now, said, “The percentage of women at the top has not changed – and in fact 21% of FTSE Boards have zero women on them. We wanted to see why this might be.”

“The main takeaway from this research was that the vast majority of male line managers just couldn’t see the obstacles that women are dealing with,” she explained. “It’s quite important to understand that men and women had different perceptions of the same workplace.”

Wells explained that cultural assumptions were a key culprit in the slow pace of progress in terms of getting women to the top. She said, “Success will require engaging men in the dialogue around culture change.”

Taking Care and Taking Charge

According to the study of about 860 line managers (43% male and 57% female) in UK the for-profit, public, and not-for-profit sectors, men seem to perceive significantly fewer barriers for women at work. The study was carried out as a follow-up to similar research performed in 2005, and, in fact, Wells said what was most was most surprising about the study was how little has changed.

She said, “There are organizations doing great work dismantling barriers and cracking the glass ceiling. But we have yet to see much results from this work. Unconscious bias and issues regarding culture may be why.”

Both men and women saw that work/life issues caused women the greatest challenge in terms of progression at work. But men saw that challenge as significantly less severe than women; 82% of female managers and 54% of male managers saw issues of home and family responsibilities as the main challenge faced by women. The second largest challenge was around perceptions around child care. According to the research, women being seen as “less committed to their jobs” because of family commitments was reported as a barrier by 57% of women – but only 20% of men.

“The fact hat home responsibilities and child care were the two biggest barriers leads to an issue of perception. Men are seen as the ones who take charge. Women are seen as the ones who take care,” Wells explained.

“This research shows that these stereotypes and perceptions are persistent.”

How Can We Change Perceptions?

How can this data be used to better promote, attract, and retain women? Wells said, “Definitely something needs to be done around male managers. They’re not just seeing the barriers that women on their teams are facing.”

“A key part of culture change must be helping male managers perceive that there are barriers in their organizations that they are just not aware of.” She explained, “There needs to be more dialogue and a better understanding about what it feels like to be a woman in their organization.”

She continued, “We’re never going to move the dial if work is just initiative driven or taking ‘fix the women’ approaches. We have to look at it from a culture standpoint. We all have to understand that we bring perceptions to the workplace, and these can play out to the determent to certain individuals.”

Wells also emphasized the importance of women to seeking out mentors and sponsors. The research showed 57% of women recognized a lack of visible role models as a barrier to success. She also said that women must work to make their aspirations heard. “Make sure your manager is aware that you have aspirations. Build an individual profile in terms of knowing the right people, networking, and actively managing that.”

She also urged companies to rethink flexible working as part of their effort to change perceptions of women. “Flexible work shouldn’t be a policy in a drawer that you dust off when someone has a child. We need to mainstream flex – look at it through a lens of business success, rather than as an irritation.”