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The Me Too movement has changed the way we view gender discrimination. Yet, nothing could have prepared me for the facts set forth in a new book, Invisible Women, Data Bias in a World Designed For Men, by Caroline Criado Perez.
It exposed the systemic discrimination women face in the workplace and in their everyday lives, sometimes with fatal consequences.
The default male
As a writer, I struggle with the “pronoun issue.” Historically, the default was to use “he” to describe activities engaged in by both genders. I thought it was progress when I substituted “she” or changed the wording to avoid this issue altogether.
I barely scratched the surface.
We tend to avoid including women in statistics that are positive, but group them with men when the implications are negative.
Here’s one example:
Criado Perez notes this headline in a popular newspaper: “Humans evolved to have an instinct for deadly violence, researchers find.”
Yet data from Sweden, Australia, the United Kington and the US found 90% of murders are committed by men.
She notes that when the “generic masculine” is used – and intended to cover both genders – it is perceived overwhelmingly as referring to males only. She states: “When the generic masculine is used people are more likely to recall famous men than famous women; to estimate a profession as male-dominated, to suggest male candidates for jobs and political appointments.”
Terrible consequences
Her book is replete with examples of the pervasive impact of gender discrimination. One of them stood out to me. She calls it the “Yentl syndrome.”
In her 1983 film, Yentl, Barbra Streisand played the role of a women in Poland who pretended she was a man because that was the only way she could get an education.
In medicine, the Yentl Syndrome describes a situation where a woman is misdiagnosed and poorly treated because her symptoms don’t conform to those experiences by men.
In the US, cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in women. Here’s what’s shocking: Women are more likely to die after a heart attack than men. In fact, young women are almost twice as likely as men to die in a hospital after suffering a heart attack.
Criado Perez presents data that explains this disparity. The symptoms (or lack thereof) of a heart attack in women are often markedly different from those of men. Women experiencing a heart attack may have no chest pain (which is common in men). Instead, they present with stomach pain, breathlessness, nausea and fatigue.
Because of these differences, women in the UK are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed following a heart attack. In order to properly diagnose women, different tests need to be used, and the medical community often isn’t aware of this requirement.
In these circumstances, gender discrimination will have fatal consequences.
Gender discrimination in advisory firms
The advisory business continues to be male dominated, despite well-intentioned efforts to make it more inclusive. Gender discrimination can take many forms, from the obvious to the insidious. While you may believe your firm is gender neutral, the perception of your female employees might be quite different.
Open a dialogue on this subject. Start by asking women some very basic questions, like:
- Are we doing everything we can to make you feel part of our team?
- If not, what can we do better?
- How can we attract more women advisors?
You may be surprised by what you learn.
Gender discrimination can infect every aspect of our relationship with women. You should read Criado Perez’ book. It’s an eye-opener.
Dan Solin is a New York Times best-selling author of the Smartest series of books. His latest book is The Smartest Sales Book You'll Ever Read. His sales coaching practice includes helping advisors convert prospects into clients and generating leads through videos and other elements of marketing. Dan is not affiliated with any advisory firm.
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