Recently writer, Alison Wynn, published new research in Gender & Society. She spent over a year conducting an in-depth case study of one of the largest technology companies in Silicon Valley. This company, which was not named, was implementing a gender and equality initiative – one that included unconscious bias trainings and mentorship programs.
The idea behind these initiatives is that if men can be taught to limit unconscious bias, and women can be taught to behave more assertively and demonstrate valued skills, only maybe can gender inequalities be reduced.
Through her findings, she realized that these initiatives, in fact, were ineffective. If anything, they promoted this unwanted bias. The problem is not only in the people, a huge factor is no one is holding the organization responsible for the role it plays in causing inequality.
https://hbr.org/2019/10/why-techs-approach-to-fixing-its-gender-inequality-isnt-working
LIS 4022 Spring 2020 