One invisible barrier holding back women at work: the conformity bind
Most of us enter the professional world believing that the focus and hard work which got us through our education will help us rise there, too. But we don’t yet realize that there are significant obstacles lying in our path. Author Michelle P. King explains how the need to conform can stand between women and success.
Between the ages of 24 and about 35 marks the beginning of the career track for many women. Women enter this first phase expecting that their road to success will be a meritocratic one. They work hard and try to advance, believing they alone are in control of their success. Like men, women want to do it all and have it all; the only difference is women experience invisible barriers early on that men do not. Women encounter these barriers before they set foot into an office, but without awareness, it is difficult for them to understand why they are struggling.
Even having access to that first career opportunity is more challenging for women because the standard of what “good” looks like in most recruitment processes is a male one. The challenges continue to unfold over the years, as women are held to higher performance standards and have less access to promotion opportunities or powerful individuals.
But once you are aware of the broken culture that exists in your organization, you will be prepared to see the invisible barriers for what they are: inequality. With that knowledge, you gain power over the barriers and will begin to see how exceptional you really are. This knowledge will help you preserve your mental and emotional energy and go from wondering how to fix yourself to recognizing that the problem is not you, it’s your workplace.
Here’s one of those invisible barriers: the conformity bind.
When we start a job, it takes a few months to learn the acceptable behaviors, team norms and routine practices that the organization values. This process is called socialization and it continues throughout a person’s career, but it is especially important for newcomers. Given that workplace cultures tend to be masculine, it’s a lot easier for men to assimilate. Women, on the other hand, must negotiate around masculine workplace norms, which often exclude them. As a part of my PhD research, I conducted 72 interviews at two large multinational organizations (one in the energy and resource sector, the other in the professional services industry). In every interview, I’d ask participants to describe the ideal employee. Men and women consistently said it was someone who works long hours, makes the organization a top priority, has no dependent-care responsibilities, asks for what they want, competes to get ahead, and is generally extroverted. Most descriptions were the same because employees learn what looks good from the social interactions they engage in at work and by observing leadership behaviors.
