COO reveals how to eradicate workplace sexism

Uprooting stereotypes that are deeply embedded in our culture is easier said than done – and HR has an important role to play in eradicating workplace sexism.

A recent social experiment highlighted just how far we have to go. A male employee at a firm in Philadelphia, US, accidentally swapped email signatures with a female colleague. According to the Daily Mail, Martin Schneider was confused by the "rude and dismissive" responses he received from clients, only to realise that it was down to them believing he was co-worker Nicole Pieri. 

And calling out this bias isn’t enough, says Lila Ibrahim, Chief Operating Officer at Coursera. Over her career, she’s learnt that the best way to respond to sexism is by “[cultivating] a confident, thoughtful outlook, understand where the bias is coming from, and build and a strong support system.”

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Writing in Fortune, Ibrahim explains just how to do so…