Business Owner's Guide to Preventing Gender Bias in the Workplace

Recognize hidden biases that serve as obstacles to the advancement of women and establish policies and practices that aid women’s advancement as leaders.

Although women have been entering the workforce in roughly equal numbers for decades, faced with what often appears to be an unavoidable choice between career success and family, talented women often “opt out” of corporate life at what should be the prime of their careers. Additionally, companies who do not properly implement anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies may find themselves faced with gender discrimination claims. This topic will help companies recognize hidden biases that serve as obstacles to the advancement of women and establish policies and practices that aid women’s advancement as leaders. The material discusses gender neutral methods for analyzing applications received and how this relates to the hiring and promotion process. Failing to have policies that aid the advancement of women not only deprives companies of valuable contributions of women in their leadership, but may disqualify the firm from competing for certain clients and have a negative impact on their bottom line. This information is critical for companies who wish to provide gender-neutral opportunities for career advancement.

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to define issues that impede the advancement of women into leadership positions.
• You will be able to recognize practices that create an obstacle to the advancement of women.
• You will be able to identify policies to assist women in overcoming hurdles that cause women’s careers to stagnate.
• You will be able to explain current opportunities available to women and refine policies to level the playing field.