Andie & Al, Author at Andie & Al

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How Measures of Gender Inequality Quantify Workplace Bias

Workplace gender inequality is clearly evident when personnel decisions are made. Time after time, men are more readily hired, paid more for the same work, and promoted to leadership roles in greater numbers as compared to well‐qualified women. It’s time to override these consistent measures of gender inequality and help decision-makers learn how to reach fair, objective, and defensible personnel decisions Since many gendered workplaces operate with a tolerance for people’s gender stereotypes and their associated status beliefs, decisions tend to reflect...

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by Andie & Al

Three business people speaking to each other.

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Equality & Diversity, Fighting Stereotypes & Breaking Biases

How Gender Inequality Hurts Men—and How to Stop It

We see the term “gender inequality” and we think of women—and for good reason. But we need men to get off the sidelines, and move the ball up the field as well. The key to getting men more involved is to reframe the goal. When we all understand that gender equality is not just about advancing women but about assuring equitable outcomes for everyone, we will make great strides to dismantle this systemic problem that is rife in our workplaces. Men are...

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by Andie & Al

A woman speaks to two men seated at a conference room table.

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Advocating for Yourself, Equality & Diversity

7 Ways to Reduce Bias in the Hiring Process and Elsewhere

Too often in decisions that define careers, decision-makers have full license to “follow their gut.” As long as this continues, we will never eliminate workplace gender inequality. The reality is this: Most organizations—even the most well-intentioned—operate with an implicit tolerance for gender stereotypes and their associated status beliefs. As such, it’s unsurprising that personnel decisions follow suit. These critical decisions are made by in a context of structural discrimination, usually with vague, ambiguous, or subjective criteria, and without any checks on...

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by Andie & Al

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Equality & Diversity, Fighting Stereotypes & Breaking Biases, Leadership & Management

How to Design Workplace Systems That Work for Everyone

We know many leaders—not surprisingly, mostly men—believe they have little to no control over gender inequality. They also choose to believe their organizations are meritocracies, where success comes from hard work and merit alone. Yet working women know and experience something quite different. As we explained in our recent article, seemingly small and insignificant parts of the entrenched workplace systems, processes, and practices organizations foster inequity and ultimately compound over time. Add the ongoing consequences of systemic biases and gender-based obstacles,...

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by Andie & Al

Man and woman negotiate a business deal.

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Equality & Diversity, Fighting Stereotypes & Breaking Biases, Sexism

Why Anti-Bias Training Doesn’t Work

Why aren’t we seeing more progress in ending gender diversity in senior leadership? The primary reason is most diversity initiatives are premised on a fundamental misconception: The assumption underlining most of these initiatives is that if we address individuals’ biases, leadership diversity will follow. But women are not held back by individuals’ beliefs alone. Entrenched systems, processes and practices make leadership diversity so hard to achieve, and it is these systems that we need to change. Identifying more effective approaches is a...

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by Andie & Al

Woman struggling with microaggressions at work

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Equality & Diversity, Fighting Stereotypes & Breaking Biases

Compound Inequalities: Why Microaggressions at Work Matter

We all know about the positive impact of compound interest in our bank accounts, but often fail to recognize how the compounding effects of systemic biases and frequent microaggressions at work can impact a woman’s chances of career success. While compounding interest delivers large gains over time, the seemingly small differences between the ways in which women and men are treated in the workplace also delivers large negative consequences for women’s career advancement. For example, even tiny inequalities in the evaluation...

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by Andie & Al

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Equality & Diversity

Our New PATH: Fighting Systemic Bias to Drive Gender Equality

The title of our second book says it all: It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace. The truth is, in the case of gender inequality at work, it actually isn’t you. Individuals can somewhat mitigate the detrimental effects of gender inequality at work. But much of the quantifiable harm is done by the systems we all operate in. And so, ahead of our third book and almost a decade into our work as writers on workplace inequality, we’re tackling the biggest...

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by Andie & Al

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Uncategorized

A Black Woman’s Reflections on America Today

It’s been 157 years since Abraham Lincoln freed (some) of the slaves in America. And it’s been 155 years since the formal order of emancipation was finally issued in Texas and celebration of Juneteenth commenced. Unfortunately, Juneteenth is an occasion for reflection and resolution rather than celebration. Evidence of systematic racial discrimination, white incivility to Blacks, unequal administration of justice, and official violence against Black Americans keeps piling in upon us. As white people of goodwill, we are often inclined...

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by Andie & Al

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Equality & Diversity, Fighting Stereotypes & Breaking Biases, Women Working with Women

8 Things White Women Should Do to Help Black Women in the Workplace

When we talk about the obstacles women face in the workplace, we often proceed, quite incorrectly, as if all women, regardless of race, ethnicity, or other distinctive identities that intersect with their gender, have a common, shared experience of bias. They do not. Black women, in particular, face unique obstacles to career advancement that are far more formidable and difficult to overcome than those faced by white women, or, indeed, other women of color or men regardless of their characteristics....

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by Andie & Al

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Fighting Stereotypes & Breaking Biases, Leadership & Management, Women Working with Women

It’s Not The Women, It’s The Workplace

In this inaugural column for Forbes.com on women, careers, and the workplace, I want to make clear from the outset that I do not believe women’s difficulties in advancing in their careers on terms comparable to men are because women are doing something wrong or lack some essential quality needed for business or professional advancement. There is no empirical evidence that women lack confidence, are poor negotiators, are risk-averse, are overly burdened by domestic responsibilities or are mean to other...

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by Andie & Al