Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
Education
Raising self-confident girls in 2021
Excerpts from article by Faye Rowe and Tabitha Barda, published in gulfnews.com
According to New York University research, starting from the age of six years, girls stop believing they can be in a role that requires ‘brilliance’ –jobs like being a president, a scientist or CEO. Girls are also three times less likely to be given science-related toys, according to the Institute of Engineering and Technology.
Gender stereotypes are prevalent in society and, whether we like it or not, impact the confidence level of girls.
Preschool years critical
“The preschool years are a critical period in which to deal with gender stereotypes,” says Adam Zargar, Executive Director of Executive Director of Coaching & Leading Child Coach. “Skills, personality choices, limiting decisions and negative emotions are formed in the imprint period of up to seven years old. What children see and hear will play out within their automated mind.”
Not just about girls
“Gender equality isn’t just about girls, it’s about boys too,” said Dr Amanda Gummer, child psychologist and founder of The Good Play Guide. “It’s not just about how they see women, but also how they see themselves. Boys are often portrayed as aggressive and can feel pressured to be strong and rough. This often means they aren’t encouraged to express their feelings.”
Encourage kids to recognise stereotypes
“Rather than eliminating all books with stereotypes, we can guide children to recognise stereotypes and increase independent critical thinking about gender and perceptions of gender,” agrees Zargar. “Making a concerted effort to provide positive, empowered stories and images of diverse characters will activate positive self-concepts for children.”
Be aware of the language you use
An often-cited piece of research by Doris Yee at the University of Michigan demonstrated that parents and teachers of teenagers assume that when children do well in subjects such as mathematics, boys are labelled as “naturally talented” whereas girls are praised because they’ve “tried hard”. Using language such as this, even if it’s a slip of the tongue, plays a huge part in the way youngsters see themselves.
Check your own unconscious bias
We also have to be mindful of the way we describe certain characteristics and roles in society. “Without intention, we can find ourselves giving our children stereotypical messages about gender and influencing their belief systems,” says Your Nero Coach’s Laing. “For example, describing the colour pink as ‘too girlie’ can seem harmless but children will process this in their subconscious as fact, without realising.”
Shift away from appearance for girls
Boys are slightly more likely to be overweight than girls, but parents worry more about their daughters being overweight, according to research by data scientist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. He found that for every 10 inquiries about sons being overweight, there were 17 about daughters. This is of course in part because parents worry their daughters will be judged more on their appearance than their sons.
Career
How to recognise your own flaws
Excerpts from article by Clare Moore, published in Forbes
You know how sometimes clutter will be in your home, and you’ve looked at it for so long that after a while, you don’t notice it’s there? I believe that’s similar to how we often notice our colleague’s or co-worker’s flaws but not our own. Behaviors you dislike in others, you might not notice within yourself because it’s become emotional clutter. It’s there for everybody else to see — except you.
Looking for your own flaws can help your leadership skills. If you’re looking for ways to be a better business owner or manager, here are a few tips:
1. Ask people for feedback
One of the best ways to recognise your own flaws is to consult with the people you interact with most. This can be done formally — such as through a questionnaire — or casually in a conversation. Ask them to offer their constructive criticism of what you’re doing wrong.
2. Take a personality test
There are numerous personality tests out there. These can be helpful tools for analysing your strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Even if you disagree with their results, they at least will help you think about who you are — and how you got there.
3. Work with a life coach or mentor
Granted, paying for a life coach isn’t cheap, and not everybody is going to feel like they have the funds to spend that kind of money. You also want to be careful to find the right coach. Like a therapist or finding a family doctor, you might wind up with one you don’t really gel with. But if you can work with a coach, once they get to know you, they might be able to not only pick up on your flaws but also offer strategies for fixing them.
Mentors are another great resource, and you can find mentors seemingly anywhere. They are in your professional life and your personal life (think mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, co-workers, LinkedIn connections, etc.). Depending on what you want outside help with, you might have multiple mentors who provide guidance on various topics.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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