On August 25, the Women Empowerment Council (WEC) and Selena Chu, Dow VP and WEC Co-chair hosted a Women Leadership Roundtable facilitated by Renzhong (Joyce) Tan, Senior Specialist, Diversity Initiatives at New York University Shanghai. Women leaders from Chayora, Dow, Henkel, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Milliken & Company, Volvo Cars, and WEquality shared their experiences and views on how they identify and manage unconscious bias.
It was an evening of learning and sharing about how we exist in a society where men have historically been the default in power due to systemic neglect or overlooking of women in academia, professions, and more. Some perspectives that resonated include:
Some women may impose self-limitations on themselves, and having women executives as role models can give them the courage to leap forward. For women in male-dominated industries, some found it challenging, while others saw it as an opportunity to leverage their gender for advancement. Having male support in the workplace and home is crucial for women’s advancement. Women have more societal pressures to take care of family. Men are more harshly judged for wanting to stay home to care for the family than women who choose to pursue a career so inequities impact both genders. For true equity, men and women should be able to choose based on their individual preferences, not on societal expectations. Monetizing the value of the caregiving role and giving it proper recognition could help to gain a higher respect for this important role that contributes to society, whether by a man or a woman. To avoid taking on too much, women need to let go of control and expectations of household responsibilities and let men do it their way. Women can be innovative and bring their own way of closing deals and building client relations rather than relying on the traditional sales tactics of men.
In summary, Joyce and Selena noted that the key is to be open-minded and self-aware of our own unconscious biases because we all have them. As leaders, we have the power to raise our own consciousness, as well as consider policies and practices that can influence others to question and change the way we all see the world through individual filters based on our upbringing and beliefs.