Some women are trying to push back against an unwritten set of responsibilities—everything from booking meeting rooms to buying and circulating birthday cards—which are interrupting the actual work they were hired to do.
— Read on www.wsj.com/articles/dont-ask-me-to-do-office-housework-11570959002
Making a conscious effort to be observant of cultural biases can help us change the way we treat others in the workplace.
Often times, we are products of our environment which spillover into our professional lives. We may assume roles typically associated with our gender (as described in the article) rooted in biases not evident to us, or coming from a place of malice.
Starting at home, I’ve made it a point to ensure chores, contributions and responsibilities are shared between all stakeholders. Whether it be the adults in the household or the teenagers, regardless of gender, each member of the family volunteers for their preferred task. Some chores such as washing dishes after dinner or taking out the garbage, sorting recyclables, etc. are rotated between each member.
My goal is to ensure our children (two young women and a young man) grow up to be sensible adults that do not assign gender roles to their tasks… which evidently spills over into their work life. This means they [hopefully] will stand up for themselves and others whenever they witness bias at work.
Have you noticed similar biases at home and/or work? If so, what was it and how did you overcome it?