Gender diversity deals with the equal representation of men and women in the workplace. This concept is yet to be realized in many sectors, including tech.
As you go up the corporate ladder, two things become clear: gender pay gap increases, gender diversity decreases. In both cases, women are the most affected.
To be fair, equality in the workplace is a work in progress. A few companies are working to close the gap in pay and diversity with the goal of ensuring that everyone is afforded equal opportunities.
We are slowly making strides to bridge the gender gap in various workplaces but to move at a faster pace, more needs to be done. Perhaps we should first highlight the benefits of a gender-balanced work environment. This may be the first step needed to influence societal beliefs and culture which determine how people perceive gender roles and potential.
There are several gains that can be obtained from gender-diverse teams at the workplaces. Research suggests that gender diverse teams perform better when compared to single gender teams.
Several other reasons are imploring companies to embrace and maintain gender diversity at a workplace, 5 of these are discussed below:
1. Increased performance
In most cases, men and women perceive a situation or problem from different viewpoints and come up with solutions accordingly. Any organization can greatly benefit from varied innovative ideas and in-depth insights, which can ultimately lead to better performance. This also translates into better decision-making processes as issues are analyzed from varied viewpoints.
2. Ability to retain a diverse customer base
If an organization plans to engage and retain a diverse audience, it will greatly benefit from a diverse approach and workforce. With a gender-diverse workforce, the company can expand its customer base and offer better services. Currently, women have a lot of influence in retail decisions thus having direct representation within your workforce is equally important in order to retain and capitalize on this. Equality is just as important internally as it is externally.
3. Wider talent pool
Employees come in different talents and bring different skills to the table and without this kind of diversity, businesses would not grow, adapt, and innovate. By eliminating, decreasing or not engaging one gender within your workplace, you are essentially losing out on talent pool available to you as well as the unique contributions that both genders can bring.
Related: Stop bringing gender up in skills and professionalism talk
4. Improved reputation
Business reputation is quite important. How your business is represented to your target customers, investors, and your future talent pool determines your overall success. Most women, for instance, will seek to work with businesses that demonstrate strong records of diversity and equality.
5. Increased job satisfaction and low turnover
One of the leading causes of high turnover rates for any organization is inequality or a non-inclusive workplace. Unfairness breeds dissatisfaction within the workplace. This reflects badly on an organization. Workspaces which are more inclusive and fair tend to have lower turnover rates.
We need diversity in the workplace. We need more women and men in workspaces that are traditionally not thought of as fit for a certain gender.
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