Gender blindness ignores gender disparities. Gender blindness as
opposed to gender bias is when someone chooses not to see the differences between gender.. Some research suggests that
gender-blind techniques can benefit women, especially in male-dominated
industries and workplaces. However, this may not always be the case.
Gender blindness has limitations that prevent gender equality. Gender is one way people define themselves, including how they look and act. Gender is a spectrum, not a binary. Non-binary, genderfluid, and transgender identities can be defined and expressed in numerous ways. Gender affects treatment. Despite the struggle for gender equality, sexism and transphobia continue to oppress cisgender women and other transgender and nonbinary persons.
Gender Blindness Effects
Gender blindness in the workplace and elsewhere has pros and cons.
Advantages
Increases workplace confidence
Reduces STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) gender bias
Damage
Ignores gender discrimination history
Gender-Blindness Benefits
Women, transgender, and nonbinary people's knowledge of culturally ingrained gender inequalities and expectations may affect their thinking and conduct, especially in male-dominated workplaces.
Gender blindness has been demonstrated to help cisgender women overcome this issue, improving their employment confidence and reducing bias against them in science and math disciplines.
Workplace confidence
Men are aggressive, risk-takers, and leaders. Women are shy, unsure, and nurturing. This cultural understanding of gender roles promotes the idea that men are better at work than women.
However, psychologists found that gender blindness may help women get the confidence they need to succeed. In five studies, men felt more confidence than women in male-dominated areas like business school and management. To test gender blindness, participants read a paragraph that minimised gender disparities. After reading about the studies, women felt more confident at work and identified with adjectives like "dominant," "forceful," and "leader."
This made women more willing to speak up and negotiate. Gender blindness didn't affect men's work confidence. In an interview, the researchers noted that because males are more confident than women about their skills, utilising gender blindness to lower men's confidence while raising women's could reduce the confidence gap and enhance gender equality.
Reduced STEM Gender Bias
STEM professions lack women. This discrepancy is attributed to sexism. A study indicated that when scientists were presented with identical applications for a lab manager post, half had traditionally male names and half had traditionally feminine names, the assumed women applicants were ranked lower in competence and hire ability.
Gender blindness was more effective than gender knowledge in overcoming gender biases. In six investigations, men who believed in gender blindness were less likely to believe in STEM gender prejudices. Gender awareness had no effect. Thus, gender blindness techniques may reduce the STEM gender gap.
Negative Effects
It Ignores Gender Discrimination.
Gender blindness, ignores centuries of gender discrimination.
Gender blindness hinders gender equality conversations.
Organisational gender equality isn't improved.
Research suggests that gender-blind or gender-neutral policies in businesses may perpetuate sexist attitudes and actions in the workplace, hindering gender equality.
In a study of banking workers and managers, researchers found that gender-blind discussions of "flexible work" and "work-life balance" did not enhance gender equality.
While study participants said their organisations allowed everyone to choose their working hours, both men and women said such alternatives were mostly for women with families. Women with children are expected to work a "second shift" after work. This is unusual for men.
Thus, women who wished to advance in gender-blind companies would forgo flexible work options to avoid being side-lined.
Why gender neutrality has to be used Instead?
Gender blindness isn't always best. The word perpetuates blind preconceptions. Denying that we learn to recognise and understand gender as children ignores how gender differences have influenced people's lives and society.
Gender blindness can deny a crucial part of one's identity, especially for gender minorities who have worked hard to define and embrace their gender.
Given gender diversity, workplace diversity is crucial. Gender neutrality is preferable to gender blindness due to its ableist nature. Gender neutrality benefits from gender blindness without its drawbacks.
Gender neutrality focuses on institutions, while gender blindness promotes ignoring gender in social interactions. It demands gender-neutral roles. Gender neutrality can help overcome long-standing gender biases in several situations:
In workplaces and other organisations, continuing to educate others about gender discrimination's history and current difficulties and encouraging the observation and reporting of gender bias is helpful. This ensures gender-neutral policies are deliberately implemented without ignoring gender issues.