Gender and the Economy

Tag: Allies

Research briefs, news, and event recaps related to allies.

  • The Power of Informality: Redefining Innovation Over Tea

    The Power of Informality: Redefining Innovation Over Tea

  • Mansplaining: New solutions to a tiresome old problem

    Mansplaining: New solutions to a tiresome old problem

  • Ces hommes qui m’expliquent la vie…

    Ces hommes qui m’expliquent la vie…

  • How women are penalized at work for reporting sexual harassment

    How women are penalized at work for reporting sexual harassment

    [fusion_builder_container admin_label=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”20″ margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” type=”legacy”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”false” border_sizes_top=”0″ border_sizes_bottom=”0″ border_sizes_left=”0″ border_sizes_right=”0″ first=”true” spacing_right=””][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””]

    Summary

    Why does sexual harassment at work often go unreported? This experimental study demonstrates that women are penalized in terms of advancement opportunities when they self-report sexual harassment. Specifically, they are perceived as having insufficient social skills, morality, and warmth, which in turn affects their likelihood of promotion. However, if a coworker reports a woman’s sexual harassment, the woman’s advancement opportunities are not significantly affected. This finding suggests that bystander support means that victims don’t have to manage sexual harassment alone or jeopardize their professional advancement by reporting it. This study also found that bias against women who self-report sexual harassment reduced after the #MeToo movement started, which may suggest that activism can change gender biases and stereotyping.

    Bystander support means that victims don’t have to manage sexual harassment alone or jeopardize their professional advancement by reporting it.

    Research

    This study investigates what may deter women from reporting sexual harassment at work. Prior research has shown that there are common myths about women who report sexual harassment, including that women are fabricating their claims, that they have ulterior motives (e.g. to gain attention or money), that sexual attention is normal or flattering, and that it is the responsibility of the victim to stop harassment. These myths suggest that women who report sexual harassment are violating social norms. Therefore, the author of this study hypothesized that a woman who reports her sexual harassment at work will face normative discrimination: people would perceive her as having poor social and interpersonal qualities, which would then affect her advancement opportunities. On the other hand, having a coworker report the sexual harassment would not have the same effect, because the coworker would dispel the notion that the woman is lying or that the situation is not serious.

    This study consisted of survey experiments with 924 U.S. residents over the age of 18, recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants were 50% men, 49.5% women, and 0.5% other genders. Five experiments took place in late 2017 and early 2018, unintentionally coinciding with the beginning of the #MeToo movement. The survey asked participants to imagine they were a manager considering the promotion of a fictional employee named Sarah Carter, and showed them a performance review. The review included one of the four randomly assigned conditions:

    • Sarah experienced nonsexual harassment and reported it herself
    • Sarah experienced nonsexual harassment and a coworker reported it
    • Sarah experienced sexual harassment and reported it herself
    • Sarah experienced sexual harassment and a coworker reported it

    Other than these conditions, the performance reviews were identical. This allowed the author to control for the effect of sexual harassment compared to other types of harassment, as well as the effect of a coworker reporting versus self-reporting. The survey then asked participants to rate their likelihood of promoting Sarah Carter, and to rate her on various traits like competence, morality, warmth, and social skills.

    Findings

    The employee who self-reported sexual harassment faced a significant penalty in terms of promotion opportunity: receiving the lowest likelihood of promotion. On the other hand, the employee whose coworker reported her sexual harassment did not receive a significant penalty. The gender of survey participants did not change this outcome: women were just as likely as men to penalize the employee who self-reported sexual harassment.

    The survey participants also viewed the self-reporting employee as significantly less moral, warm, and socially skilled than the employee whose coworker reported her sexual harassment, which mediated the penalty in promotion opportunity. In other words, participants perceived that the self-reporting employee was violating norms of how women should act, which in turn made them less likely to promote her. The author found that the employee’s perceived morality accounted for 40% of the effect on her promotion likelihood; her perceived warmth accounted for 83% of the effect; and her perceived social skills accounted for 90% of the effect. However, survey participants did not view the employee who self-reported sexual harassment as significantly less competent at her job.

    Participants perceived that the self-reporting employee was violating norms of how women should act, which in turn made them less likely to promote her.

    Notably, although participants exhibited bias against women who self-report sexual harassment at the beginning of the #MeToo movement (October, November, and December 2017), this bias declined over time: the study’s last experiments in January and February 2018 showed no bias. While it cannot be determined whether the #MeToo movement was the cause of the decline, this result may suggest that activism and awareness can affect perceptions of women who self-report sexual harassment.

    Implications

    • Employees should be encouraged to report harassment directed at their colleagues—This study suggests that women who experience sexual harassment face a double bind at work: if they self-report, they will be subject to bias that affects their advancement; if they do not, they have to experience their situation alone. However, if coworkers report women’s sexual harassment, women are not penalized. While this suggests that peer support can help women report without career repercussions, it does not change that women are penalized for speaking out on their own.
    • Organizations can increase awareness to transform bias against women who self-report sexual harassment—Although it is uncertain whether the rise of the #MeToo movement caused a reduction in bias over the five months of the study, it is possible that raised awareness and the media attention on the issue helped change people’s perceptions of women who self-report sexual harassment. This suggests that social activism and organizational awareness can have an important effect on gender bias and stereotyping.
    • Clearer guidelines and tools should be created for bystanders to report sexual harassment—Many employees are unsure of who they should report inappropriate behaviour to, how to do so, and what details should be included in the report. Therefore, organizations should develop effective reporting tools, such as anonymous tip lines, and introduce specific reporting guidelines that detail what information should be reported so that an investigation can be conducted.
    • Employee evaluations and promotions should be checked for bias against employees who self-report harassment—This study found that employees who self-report harassment often face significant penalties in terms of promotion opportunities due to the bias held against them by their fellow employees. In order to mitigate this penalty, those in charge of employee evaluations and promotions should be aware of this potential bias, and ensure any evaluations are based solely on job-related criteria like skill levels and achievements.

    [/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/research-briefs/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more research briefs[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”3″ offset=”0″ pull_by=”category” cat_slug=”research-briefs” exclude_cats=”” tag_slug=”” exclude_tags=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” meta_author=”no” meta_categories=”no” meta_date=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_tags=”no” content_alignment=”” excerpt=”no” excerpt_length=”35″ strip_html=”yes” scrolling=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_4″ layout=”1_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”true” border_sizes_top=”0″ border_sizes_bottom=”0″ border_sizes_left=”0″ border_sizes_right=”0″ first=”false”][fusion_title hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”briefsummary” id=”” content_align=”left” size=”3″ font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” text_color=”” style_type=”none” sep_color=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=””]

    Title

    The Penalties for Self-Reporting Sexual Harassment

    Author

    Chloe Grace Hart

    Source

    Gender & Society

    Published

    2019

    DOI

    10.1177/0891243219842147

    Link

    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0891243219842147

    Research brief prepared by

    Carmina Ravanera

    [/fusion_title][fusion_widget_area name=”avada-custom-sidebar-researchbriefsidebar” title_size=”” title_color=”” background_color=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Mansplaining: New solutions to a tiresome old problem

    Mansplaining: New solutions to a tiresome old problem

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    In 2008, author Rebecca Solnit’s now famous essay, Men Explain Things to Me, set off a firestorm.

    Though Solnit didn’t use the term “mansplaining,” the essay is credited with birthing the term that’s now part of regular parlance. Women (and other underrepresented groups such as people of colour and non-binary people) had finally found a way to articulate that phenomenon they routinely experienced, particularly at work.

    Men feel the need to explain something to a woman, even if the woman hasn’t asked for an explanation and often pertaining to something that’s directly in the woman’s area of expertise and not at all in the man’s. Or when the topic is about a woman’s own experience and the man wants to explain her experience to her.

    Even women who are famous for their mastery of a domain find themselves being mansplained.

    Krawcheck is seen in November 2011 speaking at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association annual meeting. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

    Sallie Krawcheck, a former CEO of wealth management at Citibank and before that the CEO of Smith Barney investment advisers, says that venture capitalists interested in her new financial investment venture Ellevest mansplained financial advising to her.

    We all have our own stories. Most women I know just roll their eyes knowingly when asked about mansplaining. Most of us experience it so often that we aren’t always even conscious it is happening.

    ‘Cluelessness’

    Note, as Solnit does, that “mansplaining is not a universal flaw of the male gender, just the intersection between overconfidence and cluelessness where some portion of that gender gets stuck.”

    But the mansplaining term has stuck. And research demonstrates that the feeling of being mansplained is, in fact, not just a feeling.

    Studies show that in meetings, men speak more, and more powerful men speak even more. Men interrupt more, and are less likely than women to cede the floor when they are interrupted. Women worry (correctly) that if they fight to get their voices heard, they will experience backlash.

    The blogosphere is filled with recommendations for how women should handle mansplaining when it happens: “7 Ways to Handle Mansplaining,” “How To Deal with a Mansplainer” and “How to Handle Mansplaining at Work.”

    The recommendations are good — ignore the mansplainer, stand your ground, ask the mansplainer questions about their expertise and what they hope to accomplish by “explaining” the topic, explain mansplaining to the mansplainers, use other women as allies to stand up for you, and use as much humour as you can.

    As with #MeToo and other efforts to point out the inequalities that women experience, many men feel attacked, even when women try to respond with humour, as feminist blogger Elle Armageddon did with her 2015 flow chart “Should You Explain Thing to a Lady?”

    “Not all men” is the regular refrain. But, honestly, such protestations smack of an unwillingness to listen to the legitimate experiences of women in the workplace. And it’s unfair that while mansplaining is done by men to women, the solutions all seem to be about how women can address it — rather than how and why men should stop doing it.

    It’s a further demand placed on women to solve the problems imposed on them by others. I’d like to take another tack.

    Mansplaining eradication tactics

    A mansplaining hotline would be great, but apparently it’s only available in Sweden. Shutterstock

    In Sweden, a major union has set up a mansplainer hotline you can call to report offenders and receive advice and commiseration. But that’s not a resource available to all of us.

    So what can potential mansplainers do? Armageddon’s advice is pretty good: If you aren’t an expert on a topic, maybe you don’t need to talk.

    For those of you who fear you might be mansplainers, keep in mind — even if you are an expert, but the woman is an expert too and hasn’t asked for your advice — maybe you still just stay silent. What’s the harm in listening? You might learn something. Even if you speak a lot less than you do now, the research I cited above suggests that you still might be speaking more than the women in the room.

    The point is, you can dial it back a lot and still speak your fair share about issues on which you are an expert and have something unique to contribute.

    But mansplainers almost by definition can’t help themselves. The advice on self-restraint is bound to be ignored. So maybe we need to think about more structural solutions. In other words, what can organizations do to even the playing field?

    ‘High-testosterone settings’

    As a professor of strategic management, I’ve thought about this a lot in my own teaching to MBA students. MBA programs have historically been pretty high-testosterone settings. I have an explicit practice to call on those students who are quiet, find out who the true experts are and shut down interrupters.

    I also evaluate students on their contributions to the classroom learning experience, and those evaluations reward listening and building on the ideas of others (not just rehearsing their own lines in their minds while they are waiting to talk).

    Organizations could replicate these practices. They could develop guidelines for meetings that require each person to share their point of view or instructions to the meeting leader to shut down mansplaining and support women who are speaking.

    It is not enough, by the way, to simply extend the amount of time for questions or discussion with the hopes that women will speak up more or men will run out of things to say. Research experiments show that doesn’t work.

    Further, performance evaluations could be adapted to sanction mansplaining and to reward listening and building on the ideas of other team members.

    Business meetings are often particularly rife with mansplainers. (Shutterstock)

    In short, we need to stop giving women advice on how to fix the inequalities and discrimination they face and instead look to the perpetrators to change their behaviour and to organizations to change workplace dynamics.

    “Fixing the women” is a costly solution for women, and could result in companies losing valuable female employees. It will ultimately be ineffective without organizational change. Women shouldn’t be asked to “handle” mansplaining. Organizations should handle it for them.The Conversation

    Sarah Kaplan, Professor, Strategic Management, Rotman School of Management; Director, Institute for Gender and the Economy, University of Toronto
  • Explaining the effect of ‘mansplaining’ in the work place

    Explaining the effect of ‘mansplaining’ in the work place

  • New solutions to mansplaining

    New solutions to mansplaining

  • Lee Airton on “Gender: Your Guide”

    Lee Airton on “Gender: Your Guide”

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_color=”” video_preview_image=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” padding_right=”” type=”legacy”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”true” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_sizes_right=”” first=”true”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_color=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_delay=”0″ animation_offset=”” logics=””]“This book is very much a manual on how to stop being a part of the ‘gender police,’” began Lee Airton, assistant professor at Queens University, at our recent event co-hosted by The Letters commemorating the International Day of Pink.

    Airton’s book, Gender: Your Guide–A Gender-Friendly Primer on What to Know, What to Say, and What to Do in the New Gender Culture, is a manual for those looking to navigate the changing landscape of gender norms and support gender inclusion. Airton hopes that by helping people understand how gender norms impact them—both positively and negatively—they can change their habits through empathy and understanding. In fact, they (Airton uses they/them pronouns) explained, gender is a process of socialization into rigid categories that limit everyone. As they stated, “Nobody is outside of this problem. We all experience it, and we all participate in it.” Furthermore, Airton stresses the importance of recognizing that gender norms are not universal; gender norms vary even on at a local level. They change school-by-school, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood, and city-by-city. To promote gender inclusion, it is essential that we respect and try to understand the fluidity of gender.

    Nobody is outside of this problem. We all experience it, and we all participate in it.

    [fusion_gallery layout=”” picture_size=”” columns=”2″ column_spacing=”” gallery_masonry_grid_ratio=”” gallery_masonry_width_double=”” hover_type=”” lightbox=”none” lightbox_content=”none” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” border_radius=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””][fusion_gallery_image image=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/LeeAirton_Crowd2-1200×675.jpg” image_id=”5589|1200″ link=”” linktarget=”_self” /][fusion_gallery_image image=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/LeeAirton_Crowd3-1200×675.jpg” image_id=”5591|1200″ link=”” linktarget=”_self” /][fusion_gallery_image image=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/AudienceMember-1200×675.jpg” image_id=”5598|1200″ link=”” linktarget=”_self” /][fusion_gallery_image image=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/TheLetters-1200×674.jpg” image_id=”5599|1200″ link=”” linktarget=”_self” /][/fusion_gallery]

    During the discussion, Airton outlined a few key takeaways:
    Anticipate mistakes

    We all make mistakes on gender pronouns because this requires a significant cognitive shift. However, we have to be willing to make that shift and be open to correction.

    Set an example

    If you’re in a position of power (e.g. a professor or manager), set an example by openly declaring your preferred pronoun, making it OK and safe for others to do the same.

    Be self-aware

    We know more about gender than we think we do. We need to realize how we participate in the process of constructing and maintaining gender norms.

    Airton ended the discussion by reiterating the purpose of their book: “[It’s] all about calling you in to get on board by saying this is happening to everyone. We’re all part of ‘gender.’”

    Watch the video below to learn more about how we all play a part in gender policing, and how we can stop.

    [/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/past-events/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more past events[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”5″ content_align=”center” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]

    Or register below for these upcoming events

    [/fusion_title][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”3″ offset=”0″ pull_by=”category” cat_slug=”events” exclude_cats=”past” tag_slug=”” exclude_tags=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” meta_author=”no” meta_categories=”no” meta_date=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_tags=”no” content_alignment=”” excerpt=”no” excerpt_length=”35″ strip_html=”yes” scrolling=”no” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • The Letters’ Diversity and Inclusion Case Competition | Fall 2018

    The Letters’ Diversity and Inclusion Case Competition | Fall 2018

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_color=”” video_preview_image=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” padding_right=”” type=”legacy”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”true” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_sizes_right=”” first=”true”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_color=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_delay=”0″ animation_offset=”” logics=””]

    In collaboration with The Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Bain & Company, The Letters @ Rotman and the Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE) hosted a case competition with over 50 Rotman MBA students in 18 teams to strengthen LGBTQ2+ diversity and inclusion efforts at BMO.

    The Letters case competition on diversity and inclusion

    The challenge question:

    “How can BMO become the #1 employer in the world by empowering its employees and leadership to champion the needs and professional development of LGBTQ2+ people?”

    The Finalists

    The students developed several ideas that offered new approaches to diversity and inclusion at BMO. Six of these ideas were selected to be presented at the final round of competition at Bain & Company.

    BMO’s Family First Benefits Plan (winning idea)–A benefits coverage plan for a wide range of assisted reproduction and adoption costs, which are particularly important for LGBTQ2+ employees.

    Transformation Investment Fund–A trans-centred investment fund that provides capital, mentoring and advisory services to trans-owned businesses.

    BMO Art Labs–A dedicated space for employees that supports self-development and expression through art.

    BMO Allies to Advocates Program–An employee program that supports and promotes ally education through seminars, Q&A sessions, and empathy exercises.

    BMO Board of Diversity and Fellowship Program–A group of employees that champion LGBTQ2+ employees and an undergraduate fellowship program for young LGBTQ2+ talent.

    Project Unicorn–A series of programs that support the trans community including initiating BMO Allies Pledge Week, a dedicated time during the year when allies showcase their support for the community.

    The winning team comprised of Alicia Riolino, Baidong Sun, and Alison Zimmer. For their prize, they received a first round interview with Bain & Company, and lunch with BMO’s Chief Inclusion Officer, Rajini Nagendran.

    In addition to the finalists, 12 other teams pitched their ideas. These ideas centred on a range of themes, including; developing inclusion and diversity policies; creating transformational programs for ally engagement; celebrating gender expression and sexual orientation; investing in LGBTQ2+ talent; developing effective metrics to measure diversity and inclusion efforts.

    Thank you to all of the participants, coaches, and judges for being a part of this great event!

    To see all of the students’ ideas, view or download this short brief.

    DiversityandInclusion_CaseCompetition.Cover[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”50″ bottom_margin=”50″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/past-events/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more past events[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”5″ content_align=”center” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]

    Or register below for these upcoming events

    [/fusion_title][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”3″ offset=”0″ pull_by=”category” cat_slug=”events” exclude_cats=”past” tag_slug=”” exclude_tags=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” meta_author=”no” meta_categories=”no” meta_date=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_tags=”no” content_alignment=”” excerpt=”no” excerpt_length=”35″ strip_html=”yes” scrolling=”no” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Gender equality in the workplace: How men can move the needle

    Gender equality in the workplace: How men can move the needle