Gender and professionalism make up a person’s uniqueness. How can managers get everyone on accomplishing the same goal despite their different approaches to the task at hand?
What do female engineers, female lawyers and female doctors have in common? They are all working in what is socially accepted as male-dominated work environments.
“I met a female engineer who used to work as the only female in an all-male environment. The company changed the door sign of the male toilet to a unisex one when she joined, and she had to share the toilet with the rest of her colleagues, who are all male. The company finally built a female restroom when the second female engineer joined the company a few years later,” said Cheng Chi-Ying, Assistant Professor of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University. She gave a talk entitled "The Influence of Gender and Professional Identity Integration (G-PII) on Organisational Performance" at the university on 13 October 2013.
“The company and her colleagues were not trying to be harsh on her. It was only that they did not share her situation. In order for them to do so, they need to recognise and respect her as a female. Next, the company needs to know that she is a female and a professional with expertise at the same time. Then, the environment will truly encourage the integration of gender and professionalism.”
“What is needed is a friendly environment where it allows females to feel free to be both women and professionals at the same time.”
Gender identity & professionalism
Drawing on social identity theory and identity integration research, it is hypothesised that when female professionals have male-dominant professions (such as business and engineering), their levels of G-PII influence their work performance including negotiation and creativity.
G-PII is defined as the extent to which one’s gender and professional identities are perceived as compatible or in conflict with each other. Cheng discussed how the two identity primes – female and business – interact with G-PII to influence female professionals’ work performance at the talk.
While some identities like culture and gender are inculcated from birth, others like professional identity can be chosen later on. However, Cheng said the dynamics of identities are often complex to study and predict, given the involved cognitive capabilities and emotional experiences.
“It is finding the right fit between a person and an organisation. In a male-dominated environment, survival skills are needed for everyone in order for them to stay long in the organisation. And adaptability is a trait often associated with females.”
Men have it too
In the course of her research, Cheng was surprised to find males have similar gender-professionalism challenges.
“From my survey of MBA students on G-PII, I find it surprising that this concept also applies to male MBA students. I did not expect that. When I apply G-PII metrics on males, the results are reliable and consistent with the studies on females. This tells me that while the stereotype of the successful businessperson is male-dominant, personal experiences may not be so,” she said.
“Male businesspersons are also pondering on how to integrate their gender identity and professional requirements, which the latter may be more feminine. This is also challenging to them.”
This is especially true when it comes to managing and relating to people today. Softer approaches such as consultative discussions, care and concern for employees and colleagues, as well as mentoring and coaching are practised at the work environment. These are regarded by males as traditionally feminine in nature.
Identity cues
When females with high G-PII are faced with domestic items, pastel coloured crockery and infant items, these strong gender identity cues would encourage them to be nurturing and accommodating. When they are given cues such as business items, tools of trade such as computers and axes for woodworking, they may express themselves as aggressive, non-emotional and dominant. Interestingly, females with low G-PII exhibit behaviours in contrast to the identity cues.
“I see G-PIIs as predictive of how women negotiate and perform at work. From my research, identity cues in context are meaningful for determining high versus low G-PIIs for people to switch their behaviours,” says Cheng.
“We need to pay attention to the identity cues in an organisational context and how they facilitate or influence female professional performance. We should also look into how meaningful gender and occupational stereotypes will play a role in build up a female professional’s G-PII.
“A more ambitious way to think about G-PII is to move it from an individual’s perspective to a group level. High identity integrators are better at getting access to their knowledge set related to their identities, which may act as translators or ambassadors among identity groups and bring a group of people to work together.”
While there can be creative ways for managers to make the work environment gender-friendly and functional, gender identity and professionalism make each team member unique. And everyone in the team should be encouraged to celebrate one another’s uniqueness, expertise and be open to collaborate with and learn from one another while at work. This would encourage male-dominated industries such as the military to attract more female staff for them to function as effective professionals.
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