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What are Gender Roles?

Understanding gender roles is an important part of promoting and maintaining healthy, equitable workplaces. Gender roles are social constructs that define and shape the expectations of men and women in society. 

They are culturally specific, meaning that they vary depending on the context in which they are found. As part of this trend, many organizations are taking a closer look at gender roles and their effects on the professional environment.

The Importance of Gender Roles in the Workplace 

Simply put, gender roles are societal expectations about how men and women should behave based on their biological sex. 

These expectations can include dress codes and behaviors that are associated with masculine or feminine identities. 

While some gender roles may seem arbitrary to outsiders—for example, that women should wear skirts and men should wear trousers—they actually serve as powerful forces that shape our lives in many ways.

Gender roles are collections of beliefs and expectations about how people should behave based on their gender. They often dictate how men and women should dress, how they should act in public or within certain social circles, what jobs they should have, and so on. 

These beliefs can be reinforced by family members, peers, media outlets, teachers, religious figures—even strangers. This reinforcement can lead to the internalization of these beliefs by individuals who then begin to believe that there is only one right way for them to act or be based on their gender identity.

The Importance of Challenging Gender Roles

Challenging gender roles is essential for creating equitable workplaces where everyone can feel safe and valued for who they are regardless of their gender identity. 

People who identify outside of the traditional binary of male/female may experience discrimination from those who adhere strictly to traditional gender roles because their identities don’t fit neatly into either category. 

By challenging these roles we can create a more inclusive workplace culture where everyone is respected regardless of their gender identity or expression. 

Additionally, when we challenge gender roles we may also be able to break down some of the stereotypes associated with genders such as the idea that women are not capable leaders or that men must always take charge in relationships or situations.

How Gender Roles Affect People in the Workplace 

Gender roles can have a significant impact on how people interact with each other in the workplace. For instance, traditional gender norms dictate that men should be assertive while women should be passive. 

This expectation can lead to situations where men who speak up are seen as strong leaders while women who do so may be viewed as pushy or disruptive. 

Additionally, traditional gender roles often imply that certain jobs are “masculine” or “feminine” – for instance, that nursing is a job for women while engineering is a job for men – which can limit opportunities for people of any gender to pursue careers outside of these norms.

How Employers Can Combat Gender Roles 

Organisations have an important role to play in mitigating the effects of harmful gender roles in the workplace. 

To start, employers need to become aware of how these norms manifest themselves within their own organizations by conducting surveys and interviews with employees from diverse backgrounds and experiences. 

Once they have identified any disparities between genders or other aspects of identity (such as race or age), they must create actionable plans to make sure everyone is treated fairly regardless of who they are or what they look like. 

Additionally, employers must support employees through anti-bias training initiatives and D&I education around topics such as unconscious bias, microaggressions, intersectionality, and more, so that everyone feels comfortable speaking out if they experience discrimination at work.

Use the inclusio Platform to Combat Gender Roles in the Workplace 

inclusio is an AI-powered diversity and inclusion employee management platform that helps organisations scientifically measure their culture, and better understand how diversity and inclusion initiatives are performing. 

It provides a safe environment to employees, allowing them to learn more about diversity and inclusion in the workplace, while also anonymizing their data. With access to powerful diagnostics and reports, the platform makes it easy for organisations to generate reports about D&I initiatives for all stakeholders.