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October 2014 “The door is open”

Tackling gender

stereotypes to unleash

women’s potential

‘The door is open’ Tackling gender stereotypes to unleash women’s potential

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This report is an independent publication commissioned by Talentis. It was designed to explore the

impact of gender stereotyping on women’s underrepresentation in high-ranking managerial and

leadership positions.

The report results are to be presented during the first EVE Program Asia-Pacific by Valérie Rocoplan,

Talentis CEO and executive coach specialized in women’s leadership programs. The EVE Program a

leadership seminar sponsored by global companies which aims at promoting diversity in management

teams. The fourth edition will take place in Shanghai from the 29th to the 31st of October 2014.

The author is responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this report and

for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of Talentis and do not commit the

company. Overall responsibility for the views and opinions expressed in the report is taken by its author.

Writer: Chloé Chambraud

Collaborator: Ophélie Ayouaz

Project coordinator: Valérie Rocoplan

Published in 2014 by Talentis

9 Avenue Hoche,

75008 Paris

France

Please cite this report as: Talentis. 2014. The Door is Open: Tackling Gender Stereotypes to unleash

Women’s Potential. Paris.

© TALENTIS 2014


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Abbreviations

ADB: Asian Development Bank

ESCAP: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

ILO: International Labor Organization

UN: United Nations

UNDP: United Nations Development Program

UNGEI: United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative

UNU: United Nations University

WEF: World Economic Forum

WIEGO: Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing


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Table of contents

Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................. 2

Table of contents ........................................................................................................................ 3

Table of illustrations .................................................................................................................... 4

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 5

1. WOMEN IN THE ASIAN LABOR MARKET ............................................................................... 7

1.1. The female labor participation rate ................................................................................................... 7

1.2. The status in employment of women ................................................................................................ 8

1.3. The horizontal and vertical segregation faced by women ............................................................... 10

2. FACTORS WHICH PREVENT WOMEN’S CAREER ADVANCEMENT .......................................... 13

2.1. Structural causes .............................................................................................................................. 13

2.2. Gender stereotypes, discrimination and self-limitation .................................................................. 15

3. THE STUDY ........................................................................................................................ 17

3.1. Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 17

3.1. The sample ....................................................................................................................................... 19

3.1. Results .............................................................................................................................................. 20

4. RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................ 29

4.1. Raising awareness on gender stereotypes ....................................................................................... 29

4.2. Acting from an organizational perspective ...................................................................................... 29

4.3. Engaging from an individual perspective ......................................................................................... 30

Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 32


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Table of illustrations

Figure 1. Variations in Female Labor Participation Rates across Asia (2012) ............................................ 7

Figure 2. Distribution of Total Employment by Status in Employment in the Informal Economy, Asia, by

gender (2009) ............................................................................................................................................. 9

Figure 3. Regional Payroll to Population Employment Rates, by Gender (% employed full time for an

employer, among the entire adult population, ranked by deficit) .......................................................... 10

Figure 4. Proportion of women in corporate boards and executive committees in Asia ........................ 12

Figure 5. Losses along the corporate line (in % of women) ..................................................................... 15

Figure 6. Map of the five Asian countries selected for the Talentis study (2014) ................................... 18

Figure 7. Nationality of the survey participants in percentage per country ............................................ 19

Figure 8. The factors influencing women and men’s career choices ....................................................... 22


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Introduction

In Asia, over the last decades, women have contributed to economic growth more than ever

before1. From 2000 to 2008, the annual average employment growth was higher for Asian women than

for Asian men, and the employment-to-population ratio for Asian women was also higher than the world

average. However, gender-based inequalities persist on different levels. Studies indicate that women

face significant challenges in terms of access to employment, working conditions, employment security

and wage parity2.

This study focuses primarily on women working in the formal corporate sector. These women have

limited opportunities compared to men, are less likely to access top-level and managerial positions and

are starkly underrepresented in companies’ governance structures. On average, Asian women are

underrepresented at every level of top management in Asia3 and they occupy only 1.1% of CEO, CFO,

country head and related positions, according to a 2012 Catalyst study. What are the consequences of

these inequalities for women, their families, their companies and their country?

It is estimated that the Asia-Pacific region is losing US$42 billion to US$47 billion annually because

of women’s limited access to employment opportunities4 and under-utilization of women’s resources

and entrepreneurial capabilities. For instance, only 1% of all women workers in Asia are running their

own business with paid employees5. Consequently, there is a serious shortage of women managers in

Asia6. A study in 2011 by Heidrick & Struggles, a headhunter, found that 1/3rd of Asian executives were

worried about being able to attract and retain the staff they needed in the next two years7.

Recruiting more women and promoting women’s talents could be a solution. Indeed, increasing

women’s economic participation would stimulate the economic growth, help reduce poverty and

facilitate economic recovery for countries which have undergone financial and economic crises.

Moreover, greater gender diversity, i.e. the presence of women in senior jobs is positively correlated

with the company’s performance8 and with higher profits9. A recent McKinsey review of 100 companies

found that companies with three or more women in top position (in the executive committee or board)

scored higher than their peers10.

1 ILO and ADB, Women and Labour Markets in Asia: Rebalancing for Gender Equality, 2011. 2UNGEI, ‘Why Are Boys Underperforming in Education?’, UNGEI, accessed 10 October 2014, http://www.ungei.org/index_3120.html. 3 McKinsey&Company, Women Matter: An Asian Perspective Harnessing Female Talent to Raise Corporate Performance, June 2012. 4 Ibid. 5 ILO and ADB, Women and Labour Markets in Asia: Rebalancing for Gender Equality, 6. 6 McKinsey&Company, Women Matter: An Asian Perspective Harnessing Female Talent to Raise Corporate Performance. 7 ‘Untapped Talent’, The Economist, 7 July 2012, http://www.economist.com/node/21558321. 8 McKinsey&Company, Women Matter. Women at the Top of Corporations: Making It Happen, 2010, www.mckinsey.com/locations/paris/home/ womenmatter.asp. 9 ‘Closing the Gap’, The Economist, 26 November 2011, http://www.economist.com/node/21539928. 10 Joanna Barsh and Lareina Yee, Unlocking the Full Potential of Women in the U.S. Economy, special report produced by McKinsey exclusively for the Wall Street Journal Executive Task Force for Women in the Economy, (2011).


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The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the impact of gender stereotypes on women’s economic

opportunities. The first chapter gives an overview of labor market trends disaggregated by gender and

situates women in the Asian market. The second chapter attempts to identify the factors which prevent

women from accessing top managerial and executive positions. The third chapter, based on our study,

sheds light on the impact of gender stereotypes on women’s access to leadership and managerial

positions and the fourth chapter proposes recommendations to tackle these stereotypes and promote

gender diversity.

This report is based on a literature review of reports published by international organizations

(such as ILO, ADB, ESCAP, WEF) and corporate organizations, and scientific articles published in academic

journals with regard to gender and management. We also conducted our own qualitative and

quantitative study in order to understand more in depth the perceptions, representations and

expectations of Asian female and male managers working in Asian-based companies and to propose

relevant and cultural-sensitive recommendations.


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1. WOMEN IN THE ASIAN LABOR MARKET

1.1. The female labor participation rate

The labor force participation rate measures the proportion of a country’s working-age population

(over 15) that engages actively in the labor market either by working or by looking for work. Worldwide,

the male-to-female ratio for labor force participation is lowest in East Asia and the Pacific by opposition

to South Asia which lags behind all regions – except for the Middle East and North Africa11. In the Asian

countries selected in our study (China, South Korea, Japan, India, and Thailand) 12 the labor force

participation rate of the female population is 51% which means that, on average, one woman in two is

economically active.

However, this average trend should not hide the fact that there are fundamental differences

between countries (as shown in the figure 1 below). For instance, in China, 64% of women are active

compared to only 29% in India13 (ILO modeled estimate). It is important to note that the rates of female

participation in the labor force may be correlated to the proportion of women senior executives or

managers. Indeed, to reach senior positions, women ‘have to be present in the pipeline that feeds those

positions’14. However it is not necessarily the case. Indeed, in 2005, according to the ILO, Japanese

working women made up nearly half of its work force but held only 10% of all management jobs. By

contrast, women held 42.5% of managerial jobs in the United States in 2005.

FIGURE 1. VARIATIONS IN FEMALE LABOR PARTICIPATION RATES ACROSS ASIA (2012)

11 UNDP, Asia and the Pacific Human Development Report 2010, 2010, 57. 12 http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS, (consulted 2 October 2014). 13 http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS, (consulted 9 October 2014) 14 McKinsey&Company, Women Matter: An Asian Perspective Harnessing Female Talent to Raise Corporate Performance, 3.

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS


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Source: International Labour Organization, Key Indicators of the Labour Market database (2012).

1.2. The status in employment of women

Informal employment in developing countries

East and Southeast Asia15 are two of the three regions in the world where informal employment

is a greater source of non-agricultural employment for women than for men. In India for instance only

one woman in three has a formal job16. In these regions, informal employment represents 65% of total

employment and is a greater source of non-agricultural employment for women than men: 83% of

women workers in South Asia17, 36% in China, 64% in East and Southeast Asia (excluding China) 18.

In developing countries (especially in South Asia and Southeast Asia), women tend to be

concentrated in informal jobs 19 . For instance in India, the informal economy employs 86% of the

country’s workforce and 91% of its women workers 20 . Informal workers can be divided into four

categories: employers, self-employed or own-account workers (selling directly to consumers), regular or

casual informal wage workers (working for another organization or enterprise) and contributing (unpaid)

15 Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam 16 ‘Untapped Talent’. 17 Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. 18 Joann Vanek et al., Statistics on the Informal Economy: Definitions, Regional Estimates & Challenges, WIEGO Working Paper (Statistics) No. 2, April 2014. 19 ILO and ADB, Women and Labour Markets in Asia: Rebalancing for Gender Equality, 60. 20 Kamala Kanta Mohapatra, ‘Women Workers in Informal Sector in India: Understanding the Occupational Vulnerability’, International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 2, no. 21 (November 2012): 197–208.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

CHINA THAILAND SOUTH KOREA JAPAN INDIA

64% 64%

50%48%

29%

Variations in female labor participation rates across Asia


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family members21. As shown in figure 2, women are more likely to find themselves in the most precarious

positions of the informal economy, whereas men occupy the more stable ones (for instance the

proportion of men employers is more than double that of female employers).

FIGURE 2. DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL EMPLOYMENT BY STATUS IN EMPLOYMENT IN THE INFORMAL ECONOMY, ASIA, BY GENDER (2009)

Source: ILO, Trends econometric models, October 2010

According to the ILO, 50 to 75% of all informal women workers are in ‘vulnerable employment’.

Women working in the informal economy are paid lower wages and are more at risk in case of economic

crisis or low economic demand. Given the fact that they are working in enterprises which are not

registered with a local authority and do not pay taxes, they are more exposed to exploitation: they work

outside the purview of labor law and labor inspection, are not unionized and do not get access to social

protection such as social security and employment benefits.

Non-standard or atypical work in developed countries

In developed countries, non-standard or atypical work often refer to ‘employment arrangements

that would be identified as informal employment in developing countries’22 and that differ from full-

21 UNU-MERIT, Women in the Informal Economy: Experiments in Governance from Emerging Countries, 2013, http://unu.edu/publications/policy-briefs/women-in-the-informal-economy-experiments-in-governance-from-emerging-countries.html. 22 ILO, Women and Men in the Informal Economy: A Statistical Picture, 2014.

31,2

37,4

30,4

1

50,2

13,1

34

2,6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Own-account worker Contributing family worker Wage & salaried worker Employer

SHA

RE

IN T

OTA

L EM

PLO

YMEN

T (%

)

Female Male


P a g e 10 | 33

time, year-round wage employment. The definition of ‘non-standard work’ includes: own account self-

employed workers without employees, temporary (or fixed-term) workers, including temporary help

agency and on-call or contract company workers; and some part-time workers23. In general, women are

about half as likely to get full-time jobs24 as men (figure 3). This report will focus mainly on these

economic arrangements within the formal sector, i.e., in ‘jobs that usually have set hours and agreed

levels of pays, and that are reflected in national accounts’25.

FIGURE 3. REGIONAL PAYROLL TO POPULATION EMPLOYMENT RATES, BY GENDER (% EMPLOYED FULL TIME FOR

AN EMPLOYER, AMONG THE ENTIRE ADULT POPULATION, RANKED BY DEFICIT)

Men Women Women’s deficit

South Asia 33% 9% -24

Southeast Asia 29% 13% -16

East Asia 35% 21% -14

Source: Gallup survey26 (based on surveys in 136 countries and areas in 2013)

1.3. The horizontal and vertical segregation faced by women

Because of gender patterns, women experience an ‘occupational segregation’27 which can also be

referred to as ‘horizontal segregation’28 – concerning the sectors in which women work – and a vertical

segregation – concerning their work status and income.

An horizontal segregation

A study by ILO/ADB in 2011 showed that, in the Asia-Pacific region, while men are likely to be

found in higher wage-earning sectors such as technology and finance, the largest share of female

employment is in sectors characterized by low productivity, increasing casualization of labor and harsher

working conditions such as agricultural work. For instance, in South Asia, 72% of active women are to be

found in the agricultural sector compared with only 47% of men29.

23 Ibid. 24 Full-time jobs of at least 30 hours per week with an employer. 25 Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2010, Women’s Economic Opportunity. A New Global Index and Ranking, 2010. 26 http://www.gallup.com/poll/178637/worldwide-men-women-full-time-work.aspx (consulted 18 October 2014) 27 ILO and ADB, Women and Labour Markets in Asia: Rebalancing for Gender Equality, ii. 28 Maria Charles, Occupational Ghettos : The Worldwide Segregation of Women and Men, New. ed. (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2005). 29 These figures are lower for East and Southeast Asia (excluding China), 40% of women are to be found in agricultural employment in comparison with 42% of men. Vanek et al., Statistics on the Informal Economy: Definitions, Regional Estimates & Challenges.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/178637/worldwide-men-women-full-time-work.aspx


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In the industry sector, women outnumber men in the global supply chains, particularly in the

labor-intensive industries of textile, garments, leather, footwear and electronics30. They are preferred

to their male counterparts because they are seen as ‘more tractable and subservient to managerial

authority, less prone to organize into unions, more willing to accept lower wages because of their own

lower reservation and aspiration wages, and easier to dismiss using life-cycle criteria such as marriage

and childbirth’31.

Finally, in the service sector, women constituted more than 50% of the workforce were health

and social work, education, private households with employed persons, hotels and restaurants, and

financial intermediation32. Even in the sectors where they dominate in terms of numbers, women do

not tend to hold the upper level, managerial positions. In the health sector, women constitute a very

high proportion of the nurses and are poorly represented in the higher echelons since the doctors are

mainly men33. In education, primary school teachers are predominantly women but they constitute only

a small minority in the university teaching staff34.

30 ILO and ADB, Women and Labour Markets in Asia: Rebalancing for Gender Equality, 16. 31 Sustainable Social Development in a Period of Rapid Globalization: Challenges, Opportunities and Policy Options (United Nations Publications, 2002), 94. 32 ILO and ADB, Women and Labour Markets in Asia: Rebalancing for Gender Equality, 32. 33 ILO, ‘Gender Equality at the Heart of Decent Work’ (presented at the nternational Labour Conference, 98th Session, Geneva, 2009), 1. 34 UN, The World’s Women 2010. Trends and Statistics. (New York: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2010), 92.


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A vertical segregation

When women manage to find employment in male-dominated fields, they often remain in lower-

status positions. Our study will focus on this type of vertical segregation in the field of management.

According to a report published by McKinsey on female managers in Asia 35 , women are

underrepresented at every level of the management hierarchy. While women hold 8% of corporate

board seats in China, the figure drops to 5% in India, 2% in Japan and 1% in South Korea. Similarly,

women make up 9% of the members of executive committees in China, but only 3% in India, 2% in South

Korea and 1% in Japan36.

FIGURE 4. PROPORTION OF WOMEN IN CORPORATE BOARDS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES IN ASIA

Source: McKinsey Report, Women Matter: An Asian Perspective (2012).

35 To conduct this analysis, the researchers took 744 companies from the local stock indices of ten Asian markets and looked at the gender composition of their boards and executive committees. They also surveyed around 1,500 senior managers in those markets. McKinsey&Company, Women Matter: An Asian Perspective Harnessing Female Talent to Raise Corporate Performance, 1. 36 McKinsey&Company, Women Matter: An Asian Perspective Harnessing Female Talent to Raise Corporate Performance.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

China India Japan SouthKorea

Men 92% 95% 98% 99%

Women 8% 5% 2% 1%

Proportion of women and men in corporate boards in Asia

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

China India Japan SouthKorea

Men 91% 97% 99% 98%

Women 9% 3% 1% 2%

Proportion of women and men in corporate boards in Asia


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2. FACTORS WHICH PREVENT WOMEN’S CAREER ADVANCEMENT

2.1. Structural causes

Except in India, where the literacy rate is much lower for females (62%) than males (85%)37 and

where women may be prevented from entering higher education, there is no shortage of female

graduates in Asia as shown in figure 5. This means that the underrepresentation of women in

management positions cannot be explained by a lack of education in most of the countries targeted by

our study. But if women are as educated as if not more educated than men, why do they perform poorly

at leadership measurements and become fewer and fewer along the corporate line?

As explained earlier, women are likely to be employed in non-regular jobs such as part-time, informal or

unpaid jobs because they take on a disproportionate share of household and family duties. Women

usually take a ‘career break’38 when they have children, change jobs and/or tend to work shorter periods

of time so as to take care of their children. In Japan, 70% of women have jobs before they get married,

but 62% of them quit after having their first child39. Besides, they account for 70.2% of the nation’s part-

time or non-permanent workforce.

The demanding corporate culture in Asia makes it difficult for women to both care for their families and

engage fully in their working life. In Japan for instance, employees are expected to do ‘morning-to-

midnight work hours’40. Besides, there is a prevalent view in Asia ‘that married women who [wish] to

37 According to the Indian government’s 2001 census 38 Masae Yuasa, ‘Japanese Women in Management: Getting Closer to “Realities” in Japan’, Asia Pacific Business Review 11, no. 2 (2005): 195–211, doi:10.1080/1360238042000291180. 39 Tomoto Otake, ‘Japanese Women Strive to Empower Themselves’, The Japan Times, 3 March 2013. 40 Martin Fackler, ‘Career Women in Japan Find a Blocked Path’, The New York Times, 6 August 2007, sec. International / Asia Pacific, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/world/asia/06equal.html.


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combine family and career [are] not committed to the organization’ 41 . This ‘anytime anywhere

performance model’42 is a work model requires availability and geographical mobility at all times.

Consequently women often have to drop out of the labor force when they reach their late twenties and

early thirties and start having children. Thus while European women are often said to face a double

burden (work outside the home and childcare responsibilities), Asian women face a triple burden43 since

they also have to take care of the elderly on top of their other domestic work 44.

In most Asian countries, there is little government support for childcare provision with regards to

the availability, the affordability and the quality of childcare, which means that women cannot be

released either partially or completely from domestic responsibilities except if they resort to informal

(other family members) or professional childcare for help. Some countries have adopted financing

mechanisms placing the direct costs of maternity leave on employers, however such initiatives

potentially constitute an important source of discrimination against women as we will see below45.

Since women are prevented from entering, remaining or even progressing in the labor market,

there are less likely to embark on middle-management and then senior-management careers46. For

instance even among fulltime Japanese female workers, 60% of women did more than 90% of the

household tasks47. This raises questions about the social expectations of women’s roles outside the

workplace but also inside the workplace which will be discussed in the next section48.

41 Wen-chi Grace Chou, Patricia Fosh, and Deborah Foster, ‘Female Managers in Taiwan: Opportunities and Barriers in Changing Times’, Asia Pacific Business Review 11, no. 2 (2005): 251–66, doi:10.1080/1360238042000291153. 42 McKinsey&Company, Women Matter: An Asian Perspective Harnessing Female Talent to Raise Corporate Performance. 43 Jayati Gosh, ‘Women, Labour, and Capital Accumulation in Asia’, Third World Resurgence, January 2012. 44 Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2010, Women’s Economic Opportunity. A New Global Index and Ranking, 34. 45 Ibid., 105. 46 Uma Jogulu and Glenice Wood, ‘Women Managers’ Career Progression: An Asia Pacific Perspective’, Gender in Management: An International Journal 26, no. 8 (2011): 590–603, doi:10.1108/17542411111183893. 47 Yuasa, ‘Japanese Women in Management’. 48 Peus Braun C. and K. Knipfer, ‘On Becoming a Leader in Asia and America: Empirical Evidence from Women Managers’, The Leadership Quarterly. Advance Online Publication., 2014.


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FIGURE 5. LOSSES ALONG THE CORPORATE LINE (IN % OF WOMEN)

Source: McKinsey Report, Women Matter: An Asian Perspective (2012).

2.2. Gender stereotypes, discrimination and self-limitation

Apart from structural causes linked to social, educational and legal policies, gender stereotypes

hinder women’s career advancement because of discrimination and self-limitation.

A stereotype is a set of shared beliefs about the attributes and characteristics of a specific group

(i.e., men and women)49. They usually have ‘descriptive components’ (how women and men are) and

‘prescriptive components’ (how women and men should be)50. For instance, ‘women are more caring

than men’ or ‘women should privilege their family life over their working life’.

Gender stereotypes are generalizations which are not necessarily false, which can be positive or

negative, and which are held by an individual and/or a group. They are internalized by people and shape

their perceptions, attitudes and interactions. They influence women’s educational and career choices

but also women’s position and advancement within the company51. Most of the time, people are not

aware of them and make automatic and unconscious judgements based on the sole membership to a

group (women or men) 52 which result in self-limitation (individual level) and/or discrimination

(organizational level).

49 IMS, Stereotypes and Gender. How to Understand and Tackle Stereotypes in the Workplace, May 2012, 5. 50 Braun and Knipfer, ‘On Becoming a Leader in Asia and America: Empirical Evidence from Women Managers’. 51 UNESCO, Gender Equality in Education: Looking beyond Parity, 2011, http://eige.europa.eu/content/event/gender-equality-in-education-looking-beyond-parity. 52 Catalyst India WRC, ‘Addressing Biases That Hold Women Back at Work’ (Webseminar, 2014).

50

55

21

8,5

49

45

11

1,5

48

40

6

1,5

42

29

9

4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

University graduates Entry-level professionals Mid-to-senior management

Executive commitee or board

China Japan South Korea India


P a g e 16 | 33

A recent body of literature 53 investigated these gender stereotypes and concluded that the

unequal career advancement of women was due to the attitudes of the employers and key senior

managers (through negative performance expectations for instance) rather than any difference in ability

between male and female managers.

Turning now to the evidence gathered during our study, the report will attempt to identify which

stereotypes are at stake and how they can be overcome.

53 Madeline E. Heilman and Michelle C. Haynes, ‘Subjectivity in the Appraisal Process: A Facilitator of Gender Bias in Work Settings’, in Beyond Common Sense, ed. Eugene Borgida and Susan T. Fiske (Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2007), 127–55, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470696422.ch7/summary.

•Women believe that they do not possess the leadership skills required for senior positions such as ‘risk-taking’ or ‘confidence' for instance and do not apply or reach for these positions.

Self-limitation

•Employers hold the same stereotypes and select men instead of women because they think that men are better suited for the job or because they judge men more on their potential and women more on their performance. In that case, their judgements is based on their beliefs and preconceptions rather than on the skills and competencies of the individuals.

Discrimination

‘Researchers found limited gender differences in experiments conducted in field settings in relation to

women’s and men’s capacity for undertaking senior managerial and leadership roles (Eagly and Carli, 2003;

Eagly and Johnson, 1990; Heilman, 1983; Powell, 1988). In fact, women and men were reported to exhibit

similar skills in carrying out organizational tasks.

Another large meta-analysis study concluded that women were equally as capable as men in demonstrating

leadership in their senior managerial roles. In particular, women were reported to exceed men in the specific

aspects of a transformational leadership style (Eagly et al., 2003, p. 569) that contribute to subordinate

satisfaction and extra effort at work.’

Uma Jogulu and Glenice Wood, ‘Women Managers’ Career Progression’ (2011)


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3. THE STUDY

3.1. Methodology

In Europe and especially in France, several studies showed that both men and women held gender

stereotypes and believed that there was a distribution of roles between the men ‘leaders’ and the

women ‘organized and attentive’54. The objective of this research was first to measure, in a comparative

perspective, the incidence of views and opinions with regards to women and men’s professional skills,

abilities and possibilities and second to understand the impact of these representations, expectations

and attitudes on women’s economic opportunities. It included both quantitative and qualitative

methodologies and targeted a sample of Asian managers working in Asian-based companies.

This study was commissioned by the French company Talentis. Talentis offers a broad range of

support and coaching services to develop and optimize individual and team performance among

executives, managers, teams and organizations. The organization has long been dedicated to improving

gender diversity at work and women’s leadership both on a national and on an international level. The

study was designed and conducted by Chloé Chambraud, a consultant trained in anthropology and

sociology and specialized on gender studies. The methodology of the study was approved by two

doctorate researchers in social sciences (sociology and social psychology) prior to the research.

Due to limited resources, data collection was restricted to a restricted sample both in terms of

geographic location and the number of participants. The survey was circulated to companies based in

China, South Korea, Japan, India and Thailand (see map below) where there is scarce information on

gender and management. Indeed, East and South-East Asia are two regions which are under-researched

in this field55. This sample was also selected for its diversity in terms of political, demographic, social and

religious backgrounds.

It is important to underline that the survey was mainly sent to companies participating to the EVE

Program, i.e. Western companies which opened up subsidiary firms in Asia with specific corporate

policies probably influenced by European standards. Moreover, these firms were specialized in fields

considered as ‘feminine’ by the participants such as cosmetics (L’Oréal) or nutrition (Danone). Finally,

91% of our participants mentioned that they were taking part in the EVE leadership seminar for Asia-

Pacific56, which means that the participants may have already engaged in reflective thinking and critical

reflections about leadership in general.

Therefore, this report does not intend to be representative of a larger Asian population and is not

susceptible to easy generalization. Further research involving more participants and a bigger sample are

needed to validate the hypotheses proposed in this report. Besides, as mentioned before, the findings

do not necessarily account for the wide range of disparities between Asian sub-regions and between

countries.

54 IMS, Stereotypes and Gender. How to Understand and Tackle Stereotypes in the Workplace. 55 A. Al Ariss, ‘Book Review: Chris Rowley and Vimolwan Yukongdi (eds) The Changing Face of Women Managers in Asia London: Routledge, 2008, 30.99 Pbk, (ISBN: 9780415437677), Xxii + 264 Pp’, Work, Employment & Society 24, no. 3 (1 September 2010): 607–8, doi:10.1177/09500170100240031207. 56 This program will take place in Shanghai from the 29th to the 31st of October 2014.


P a g e 18 | 33

FIGURE 6. MAP OF THE FIVE ASIAN COUNTRIES SELECTED FOR THE TALENTIS STUDY (2014)

The quantitative study

The quantitative study was based on an online questionnaire aimed at measuring stereotypes. It

was available to participants during one month from the 9th of September to the 9th of October 2014

and took approximately 15 minutes to complete. The survey was circulated to Asian employees through

Talentis’ own corporate network (international coaches working in Asia, subsidiary branches of the

clients and partners located in Asia). It was anonymous and confidential57. The final sample is constituted

by 66 participants originally from Asia and working in Asian-based companies and is detailed below.

57 The participants were not asked personal information nor the name of the company in which they worked.


P a g e 19 | 33

The qualitative study

A qualitative study was also conducted in order to supplement the findings of the quantitative

study so as to gain an understanding of the underlying reasons for women’s underrepresentation in

managerial and executive positions.

This qualitative research was based on 13 semi-structured individual interviews conducted by phone

with some of the survey participants who agreed to be contacted and called58. The interviews lasted

between 10 and 30-minutes long. They were strictly anonymous59. The final transcripts and the report

do not disclose the real name of the participants (all names have been changed to protect their privacy).

There were 11 women and 2 men interviewed. They came from the following countries: China (4),

Thailand (3), Japan (2), South Korea (1), Indonesia (1), Malaysia (1) and India (1). And they were working

in China (4), Singapore (3), Thailand (2), Japan (2), South Korea (1) and India (1).

3.1. The sample

Both men (18%) and women (82%) participated to the quantitative study (online questionnaire).

The participants have a very high educational level (90% of them have at least a Bachelor’s Degree) and

more than 1 in 2 participants studied abroad. Our participants come from the following Asian countries:

China (37%), Japan (14%), South Korea (11%), India (11%), Singapore (9%), Thailand (9%), and from

Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

FIGURE 7. NATIONALITY OF THE SURVEY PARTICIPANTS IN PERCENTAGE PER COUNTRY

Source: Talentis Study on Gender stereotypes, online questionnaire, 2014.

58 22 people initially gave their email address to be contacted but only 12 finally accepted to give us an interview. 59 The participants gave us their email addresses – so that we could contact them – but could decide not to give their real name for the interview. They were asked about their position in the company but not about the name of the company.

37%

14%

11% 11%9% 9% 9%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

China Japan South Korea India Singapore Thailand Others


P a g e 20 | 33

And they work primarily in China (42%), Singapore (19%), Japan (13%), India (7%), South Korea (7%) and

Thailand (7%) but also in Malaysia and Taiwan. Most participants (82%) are aged between 25 and 44

years. They are generally married (70%) or single (19%). 39% do not have any children and those who

are parents have only 1 or 2 children (58%). With regards to the professional status, our sample

displayed an outstanding majority (91%) of managers but also directors of corporate boards and

executive committee members.

3.1. Results

According to the survey results, 72% of our informants think that, in general, women and men have

different professional skills. These beliefs can be explained by unsound gender stereotyping. According

to 74% of participants, these differences are both genetic and due to the environment. Interviewees

identify the following environmental factors as having an impact on people’s perceptions,

representations and attitudes:

the country

the location (urban or rural, small or big town60)

the social, familial and educational backgrounds (differential sex-role socialization for instance)

the cultural norms and traditions

the age and maturity of the people

60 A male participant explained that women were more independent in Shanghai than in the small towns of the countryside for instance.

72%

27%

1%

Do you think that men and women have different professional skills?

Yes

No

N/A

‘Some jobs are better done by a woman in general than a man’ (female survey participant)


P a g e 21 | 33

3.1.1. The most common gender stereotypes

Interestingly enough, gender stereotypes are found in pairs. When they are strong, women and

men are often described as having opposite or diverging skills.

Most common

stereotypes on men

Most common

stereotypes on women

Breadwinners Caregivers

Decision-makers and

risk-takers

Good communicators

and team-players

Strategic, logical and

operational

Specialized, detailed

and functional

Women are caregivers, men are breadwinners

One of the most frequent stereotypes about women is that they are more caring than men. They

are also portrayed as being kind, warm, selfless and sensitive to other people’s needs, emotions and

feelings, both because of natural and cultural reasons.

They (women] talk to the people, they have more sensitivity, they have more caring and they show caring, they are more close to people. […] This is because of human nature. Women have kids so they are more caring naturally. (Sing)

This gender stereotype has many consequences for women’s careers both in terms of horizontal and

vertical segregation. First of all, it influences women’s choices with regards to the sector in which they

can work. Several informants think women are better at certain jobs because they have specific skills

required for these occupations. For instance, in our survey ‘nanny or baby-sitter’ was considered a

female job by most of the participants. When asked to justify their answer, participants mention that:

We grow up with a frame or with experience to be more attentive to details, when you are more attentive to details, you pick small things, you would be able to take care of little babies, and to take care of elderly who may not be able to communicate anymore and you will be able to try to speak up the signals and try translate to something actionable. This is related to the skills web ring to the professions as well. (Saranya)

Occupations that require physical strength such as ‘construction worker’ or ‘freight handler’ are seen as

inadequate for women, and certain fields are said to be more suitable for women (such as cosmetics,

fashion and art) or for men (such as engineering, technology and logics).

Participants comment that social and cultural norms and values, i.e., ‘what is seen as a good job for men

in society, and what is not....’ (male survey participant) largely influence people’s choices.

When you ask a man if he wants to be a nurse, it is difficult because of social values. People would ask him ‘why didn’t you choose another job?’ It is because of the environment, because of the social values. (Sing)

‘Men and women are different, in the way of thinking and handling things’ (Minsuh)


P a g e 22 | 33

These statements show that both men and women are confronted to social expectations even though

they seem to be more compelling for women. Indeed, 1/3rd of the women surveyed think that her choice

of job/career was influenced by their gender whereas it did not have any influence on men’s choices.

There influencing factors operate on a social, communal, inter-individual and individual level as shown

in the figure below.

FIGURE 8. THE FACTORS INFLUENCING WOMEN AND MEN’S CAREER CHOICES

Moreover, this gender stereotype that states that women are better caregivers than men impels women

to take care of their family when they have children.

At a very young age women are taught that being a mother is one of the most important roles in their life […] it has an effect, I believe, on how you organize your priorities (Ploy) Society expects females to take care of their children and their house more than the society expects this from males (Siska)

According to the family model based on segregated gender roles, men are perceived as ‘breadwinners’

and are expected to work full-time so as to provide economic support for their family.

Men have been the ones expected to lead the family, provide income and bring bread at home at the end of the day (Saranya) […} for the females, working in the company is an option it’s not a must […] they can always stop it whenever they want. That’s the concept of the women who work for the company. They don’t put their 100% energy on the company work. But for men, working in a company […] is the must thing to do, rather than the optional thing to do. (Minsuh)

Men can also suffer from this type of gender stereotyping. Indeed it might be less socially acceptable for

a man to spend more time with his children or to take up a position that is seen as being ‘feminine’, i.e.

related to caring or listening skills. Indeed, men are expected to perform poorly than women when it

comes to interpersonal skills.

Society

Community

Inter-individual

Individual

•gender norms and gender roles

•social expectations and social values

•national laws (work, education, etc.)

•family background and expectations

•socio-economic situation

•role models

•networks

• individual interests

•capabilities

•willigness


P a g e 23 | 33

Some jobs could require the person to be more soft, reassuring (like nurse, baby-sitter, nanny) where men could do a good job but would be less well accepted or successful (female survey participant).

Second, gender stereotyping has consequences on the type of contract they can get and the type

of position they can aspire to (vertical segregation).

In the next four of five years I want to get married and have kids. I might have to compromise my career. (Nagina) I was not too ambitious when I was young because I needed to spend time with my children. (Sharifah)

In Asia, because of the corporate culture and the lack of childcare facilities, it is harder to continue to

work while having children. Thus, as we saw above (chapter 2), women tend to engage in non-standard

forms of employment and put a hold on their careers so as to devote more time to their families. This

has an impact on their progression along the hierarchy pipeline (especially in Japan).

Women have kids or kid and it becomes difficult for her to keep working even though she comes back to the office and it is common to work late in Japan. Maybe she will start feeling bad. The men maybe would say something that women must feel bad. Then they give up their careers or they just choose easy or the work where you are not expected to be a manager or have responsibilities. I think that’s why there are fewer women in the managerial positions. (Aiko)

Consequently they may have trouble seeing themselves in jobs that challenge these social obligations.

However, this is not the case for all the respondents. Some of them may decide not to get married

and/or not to have children, but those who are parents and decide to continue to work while having

children face challenges.

Mothers who work, they have to bear the workload from their families and from their companies. It can be a very big struggle for women (Minsuh)

When asked why women are underrepresented compared to men in high-level positions, 2/3rd of

the respondents say that ‘women have to take care of their family’ and that ‘women prefer a balanced

life than gaining highly-paid careers’. This shows that social expectations play an important role on

women’s career advancement.

Average

Women have to take care of their family 67%

They prefer a balanced life (and spend time with their family) than gaining

highly paid careers 66%

Hierarchical superiors or HR units usually favor men over women to access

top-managerial positions 33%

Women are less attracted to power positions. 33%

Women censor themselves 28%

Women lack self-confidence. 25%

Women do not want to have such a high level of responsibility. 23%

Women hold positions that do not lead them to top-managerial positions 19%

Social values prevent them from aspiring to such positions 19%

They do not resist stress as well as men 8%

They are less competent 5%


P a g e 24 | 33

There are different interpretations with regards to these family responsibilities; taking care of one’s

family can be perceived as a ‘choice’ but also as a ‘duty’. Women who want to stay economically active

while having children often need to resort to alternatives. For instance, female managers explained that

they were getting external family support (grandparents for instance) or private support (nannies, baby-

sitters, etc.) for childcare. Several women also mentioned that they got help from their partners and

husbands.

My husband decided to stay home and let me go to work. If my husband didn’t choose to stay home, I wouldn’t have been too ambitious, I wouldn’t have done the same (Sachi, working mother).

They explained that men were getting more and more involved in family life and perceived it as a positive

trend.

These days, the trends have changed, there are more men focusing on their families (Minsuh) I do come across young women who set goals for their careers and want to be general managers, […] they do have very supportive husbands who help a lot to take care of the children get them from school and so forth. Behind every successful woman, there is a very dedicated father or husband at home (Sharifah)

Women are better communicators and team-players than men

Another common stereotype about women is that, given their better interpersonal skills such as

caring and listening skills, they would be make better communicators and team-players in the workplace.

For example, in coaching, if you are observant by nature, if you see the tiny little details that are happening around you, or if you can detect the emotions of people, you kind of know where they are, how happy they are, whether they are doing it happily, willingly, or simply because they have to do it, or with great difficulty or with resentment inside. If you can detect that, it is easier for you to find the right approach in order to deal with people you are working with. (Saranya)


P a g e 25 | 33

Women would also be better at managing stress 61 , solving conflicts and would demonstrate high

emotional intelligence in comparison with men.

For males, maybe because of the culture, they may be feeling that to know about people’s characteristics is not interesting or are not careful because they are males. I like to build consensus, to build compromises with people, I don’t want to be aggressive with people, this is my personality. (Nagina)

This type of positive gender stereotyping is counterbalanced by negative stereotypes about men who

would be more detached, objective and rational, less likely to show empathy and would even be

controlling if not dictatorial.

Women and men do not always have the same professional skills. They have different management styles. Men tend to be more dictator and try to take control.[…]. Women are very structured and more controlled. (May)

However, it is interesting to note that even though women are portrayed as outstanding

communicators, they often choose to remain quiet and do not always feel free to speak up their minds

in the workplace.

I also see women in leadership positions that because of cultural backgrounds are more subdue, not so outspoken even though they are very knowledgeable, but not able to demonstrate their assertiveness in many ways.

Men are better decision-makers and are more strategic than women who are too detailed and

specialized

If men are portrayed as having poor soft skills, they would be better in terms of technical, logical

and operational skills. During the interviews, men were seen as being rational, strategic and able to take

decisions (including ‘tough’ ones). Such abilities would explain why they find themselves in leadership

positions.

At very strategic level, woman is sometimes missing sharpness, strategic vison and clear cut (female survey participant)

Because when you detect things easily and you pay attention to details, sometimes you can get stuck there and it becomes a bigger thing than it actually should. And you can miss the bigger picture for example, so it can be a pro or a con, but as long as you know yourself, then you can balance yourself better. (Saranya)

This example shows that a gender stereotype can be both positive and negative. The underlying belief

according to which women are specialized and are good for jobs that require detail is used to explain

why women remain in functional occupations and do not progress along the hierarchy line. Furthermore,

it might explain why women are given very little managerial or leadership work by their superiors since

they are not expected to be good at it whereas men would be. Consequently they are placed in

unfavorable positions with little power and fewer opportunities for career progression.

61 50% of female survey participants think that women are better than men at managing stress.


P a g e 26 | 33

Women tend to have more specialized careers, like HR or finance, this type of functional evolution does not necessarily end up being in top management positions. They choose different fields and levels. (Aiko) Females are more specialized […] To be at the top level, you need to be more generalized, not specialized (Siska).

This study revealed that gender stereotypes are still salient in people’s representations and

expectations of female and male managers, however it is important to note that several respondents

and interviewees did not appear to have these prejudices. These participants were convinced that skills

were more related to individual capabilities and opportunities (education, family background, trainings)

than to the gender of the person.

If [women and men] have the same opportunities or if we have the same chance or education or trainings, there shouldn’t be a difference [in terms of professional skills] (Aiko)

They revealed that more and more women were engaging in their work life while men were slowly

devoting more time to their family and children.

I think that gradually people reach the idea that both men and women can both support family and work. Women need to be more corporate-focused. Lots of women achieve very high status, even sometimes better than men (Lee)

They disregarded abusive generalizations and gave examples of women having ‘masculine’ skills or men

having what would be seen as ‘feminine’ skills to demonstrate that these general distinctions did not

make sense for them. They also set an example by explaining how they personally manage to overcome

these stereotypes in all sorts of ways (see chapter 4 on recommendations).

3.1.2. Consequences of gender stereotyping with regards to self-limitation and

discrimination

Associating leadership with masculine personality traits or skills may influence people's intentions

to pursue managerial careers and undermines women’s self-confidence. Indeed, they often think that

they lack the key characteristics necessary for performing senior managerial roles and thus downshift

their career ambitions. Scientists have called this phenomena ‘self-limitation’: 1 in 3 women surveyed

think that women censor themselves.

But what skills are actually needed to be a good leader or manager? When participants were asked this

question, they identified three essential qualities in significant proportions:

1. leadership

2. communication

3. and strategy

‘The Asian culture can be more feminine, more subtle, more reserved, so I think that could be a

disadvantage to the women’s leadership’ (Sharifah)


P a g e 27 | 33

This shows that the model of leadership identified as ideal by the participants is not gender-biased.

Indeed, when participants had to rate specific skills62 as ‘feminine’, ‘masculine’ or ‘both’, the bulk

majority state that they apply to both men and women63. These findings reflect the prevailing view that

‘capability is not gender specific’ as one participant puts it but is linked to individual characteristics and

capabilities.

Gender stereotypes also underlie discrimination practices – the ‘organizational barriers’64 – which

prevent women from moving up the corporate ladder and result in unequal treatment of men and

women. The women interviewed referred to several discrimination practices they had experienced or

witnessed with regards to recruitment, wage inequality or internal promotion.

The preconception that men are ‘breadwinners’ and women are ‘primary caregivers’ influences the

recruiters’ decisions. If they believe that women will not be available because of family obligations, they

may prefer hiring a man who will be more flexible and responsive.

When you try to find jobs, I think that men can get work more easily than the women (Aiko) They [the managers] would say things like ‘don’t hire a young woman because she will get married and then they’ll get pregnant’ [...] So there are still a lot of people who do that. (Nagina)

Moreover, women do not always get the same wage, monetary compensations or benefits than men

(for the same job) which is a form of gender discrimination. Our study revealed that more than 1 in 3

female participants think that men are better paid than women in their company with the same skills

and level of education

What I’ve experienced was that when I apply for that job, I was hired at the same time as another man with the same criteria [professional background] and he was able to get some monetary support for his housing, but I was told that I cannot get that support. […] I really felt like it was unequal. (Aiko)

Finally, women have limited training opportunities 65 and get less promoted than men because of

gender-biased selection and promotion practices66. Indeed, 1/3rd of the participants surveyed think that

hierarchical superiors or HR units usually favor men over women to access top-managerial positions.

In the office when they think of hiring a senior person, they [employers] make comments like ‘oh no no no we don’t want a woman, she’s gonna get emotional and we don’t need any woman in the team’ and they say it out loud. People won’t trust that person to make the right decision all the time and to make unbiased decisions. (Nagina)

62 Authority, assertiveness, charisma, communication, creativity, conflict-resolution, empathy, entrepreneurship, innovation, intuition, leadership, logical intelligence, management, multi-tasking, negotiation, networking, organization, risk-taking, listening skills, strategy, team-work, technicality. 63 Overall, men selected the answer ‘both’ almost all the time which seems to show that they would be less gender-biased than women. 64 Chou, Fosh, and Foster, ‘Female Managers in Taiwan’. 65 Anusorn Singhapakdi et al., ‘Gender Disparity in Job Satisfaction of Western versus Asian Managers’, Journal of Business Research 67, no. 6 (2014): 1257–66, doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.04.004. 66 since recruiters believe that managerial and leadership positions are more ‘suitable’ for men than women depending on their perceived gender skills


P a g e 28 | 33

This chapter has described and analyzed the results of the quantitative and qualitative study led

by Talentis. The data collected shows that some gender stereotypes are still prevalent in people’s minds

– either consciously or unconsciously – and can exert a significant influence on women’s ambitions,

decisions and choices but also on their recruitment and career opportunities. However, it has also

revealed that – no matter their gender – both men and women seem to be fully aware that they can

be(come) effective leaders if they acquire and develop the required skills and competencies. The next

chapter will focus on the importance of tackling gender stereotypes so as to promote gender diversity

in the workplace. It will also offers recommendations to promote women’s leadership that were

gathered during the interviews with Asian women in high-ranking managerial and leadership positions.


P a g e 29 | 33

4. RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1. Raising awareness on gender stereotypes

82% of participants think that there is a link between gender diversity – the fact of having both

men and women in managerial or executive positions – and the success of the company and 87% think

that women should be given more top-level positions in significant proportions: the majority of the

participants think there should be at least 50% of women in managerial teams, corporate boards and

executive committees. All the men without exception and 3 in 4 women think that it will benefit both

men and women.

When there is gender diversity in workplace it will add value to the organization as there would be different point of views and ideas to grow (female survey participant) I believe that gender diversity is important, not only in terms of gender but also in terms of educational backgrounds, because then you have this richness of opinions, of analyses, of assessments (Siska)

More than 1 in 3 women think that it is harder to become a leader for women compared to men. Besides,

40% of female participants think that they are underestimated by men in the workplace. According to

the survey and interview results, men tend to underestimate the difficulties experienced by women in

accessing higher positions and do not seem to be fully aware of the challenges they face. Thus, initiatives

are needed both from the organizational and from the individual perspective.

4.2. Acting from an organizational perspective

Companies have a key role to play in tackling gender stereotypes at work and promoting gender

diversity. Such actions have the potential to increase performance and productivity, but also to reduce

the feelings of discrimination among employees, increase their job satisfaction, and boost their

motivation and well-being at work67. These recommendations are largely inspired by the interviewees’

replies and suggestions.

Set female role models for your company

According to the survey results, the more female role models women have, the more likely they are to

have career advancement plans.

The other thing is set some good models about the female leaders’ cases […] if the company sets some good examples, female employees or managers will feel more confident about their environment. This is both an individual and eco-system perspective (Jane)

67 IMS, Stereotypes and Gender. How to Understand and Tackle Stereotypes in the Workplace.

I think that there are opportunities [for women], the door is open (Aiko)


P a g e 30 | 33

Management commitment

If the company authorities such as the CEO and the executive team promote gender diversity and set

targets for the number of junior and senior female managers in the organization, they will be more likely

to succeed. Moreover, if programmes are put in place to equip them with the information, skills and

networks, they will be prone to raise their career ambitions, profiles and apply for managerial

positions68.

They [women] are not well informed or have less visibility to opportunity than men (female survey participant)

Propose flexible work options and engage men

In case there is no government support69 regarding the provision of suitable childcare facilities, the

company could set up a nursery inside the company or offer leaves to both men and women, fathers

and mothers when they get their first child. Finally, they could also allow men and women to work from

home in case they need to take care of their children.

4.3. Engaging from an individual perspective

Be confident and know your strengths

25% of the respondents think that women are underrepresented in top-level positions because they lack

confidence.

‘One of the limitation for women managers, they always worry and are less confident about what they can do […] they think more, they always think and need to be 100% sure that they can take up a new job. They have a lower tolerance level for failure. Men think less, if they are only 50% ready, they think they can really go with that. They don’t need to be 100% sure before they ask for promotion.’ (Aiko)

Knowing one’s strengths is a way to overcome the confidence gap.

[Women] need to know first where they stand, what they have, what are their strengths and weaknesses and what they want to achieve (Saranya)

68 McKinsey&Company, Women Matter: An Asian Perspective Harnessing Female Talent to Raise Corporate Performance, June 2012. Page 10. 69 Such as tax breaks, legislation and support mechanisms (paternity leave, childcare facilities, pre-schools, etc.).


P a g e 31 | 33

Be vocal and more participative

By becoming more confident, women will be more willing to speak out their thoughts …

Young women are often working with much older men, somewhere in the end, they don’t end up giving an opinion and then men think that these women [don’t] have any opinion to share which are worthy. (Nagina)

And thus to claim positions and apply for the jobs that they deserve in the workplace.

[Women] have to be vocal about what they want to do and make directly a step towards this position. By having that, people know who you are and what you want and people would think about you when there are job opportunities (Jane)

‘Ask questions and engage yourself, represent yourself’ (Jane)

In conclusion, educating executives, managers, employees and individuals about the latent

influence and insidious effects of stereotyping is the first step to promote gender diversity. On the one

side, companies need to take action in order to overcome those stereotypes by encouraging women to

develop their talent and by informing them on career opportunities. Moreover they can set up support

mechanisms to promote gender diversity within the company so as to retain this talent pool. On the

other side, women need to override their own biases, gain confidence by knowing their talents and

aptitudes and claim the positions that they deserve.


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