I have tried to become an ambitious and competitive teacher in kindergarten classes in the last few years. The journey has banged several challenges, which have affected my dream since the teaching staff has a distinctive perception of gender bias. Women facing the problem require proper mentorship to perform their duties, while men have been considered the most crucial elements in many workplaces such as schools.
One day as I was walking to a class for a mathematics lesson, I met the headmaster full of questions and rudeness. He asked me: “Are you the only teacher who can teach mathematics in this class?” I replied, “Yes, I am.” He added: “A woman teaching mathematics lessons does not seem right anymore.” I felt overwhelmed by self-doubt and left instantly, only to realize that I had the freedom to express my doubts. As Sandberg (2013) writes, mistreating teachers lowers their motivation, which leads to poor class performance. Apart from the deficit of social amenities, women lack access to proper mentorship, which leads to discrimination. Women should seek working strategies to increase their career productivity and be less prone to self-doubts and other issues.
It is essential to employ policies that are crucial in workstations to promote women’s leadership skills. Women aspiring to become leaders should possess self-determination, tolerance, and respect, despite men with professional characteristics and power in society (Latif & Manaf, 2019). For example, I have often heard that it is not right for women to be in leadership roles in the education field. Still, I have found that I can succeed by overcoming doubts and confident communications with colleagues. While gender stereotype belief that women should not work increases family conflicts, women can adapt to the new life changes and work to achieve their goals.
Education is another strategy being used to eradicate gender variation and increase equity in organizations. The gender gap in academics is proliferating since schools generate innovative individuals to change the world, and women are underrepresented among them. For example, I was usually surrounded by men when visiting academic conferences. Women are usually in the minority in international scientific cooperation, according to Polish researchers Kwiek & Roszka (2020); men have dominated the top conveniences because of their confidence in the tasks. Women need skills that would pilot them to success by acquiring quality education.
As a kindergarten teacher, I pointed out fear and self-doubt as the root of the existing shortcomings rising in schools. Self-doubt influences women’s capacity to make decisions in their progressive development (Arnold & Loughlin, 2019). While teaching the children, the education director arrived at the school compound happily and came into my class to see me due to our planned conversation. After teaching, we involved ourselves in a conversation regarding the challenges facing women in workplaces and the available techniques to solve them. We compiled various methods to help women overcome self-doubt, which is typical for women in general; by such overcoming, women will get much more opportunities to realize in the world.
I consider eligible negotiations between the worker and the employer in an organization because employee satisfaction in the wages gap will be met effectively. Although making the decision can be hindered by various factors such as lack of confidence, as Tannen (1994) researched, those doubts can be overcome. For example, I reached an understanding through negotiations with those who were initially unfriendly to me. Through communications, I received support from my colleagues, and thus I feel much more confident.
Women should be involved in decision-making processes in leadership posts during job preferences; they should have access to education and mentoring to help them overcome their issues such as self-doubts. It is essential to adopt new strategies in workstations to minimize the gender imbalance. Social media platforms can be used as a reliable strategy in advertising the benefits of women’s efforts in eliminating gender bias.
References
Arnold, C. A., & Loughlin, C. (2019). Who has to ‘lean in’ for equal gender representation in leadership roles? LSE Business Review.
Kwiek, M., & Roszka, W. (2020). Gender disparities in international research collaboration: A study of 25,000 university professors. Journal of Economic Surveys.
Latif, L. A., & Manaf, A. H. A. (2019). Exploring women’s leadership communication styles, traits, and team effectiveness: A higher education perspective. Asian Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 8(3), 13-27.
Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean in: Women, work, and the will to lead. Random House.
Tannen, D. (1994). Talking from 9 to 5: How women’s and men’s conversational styles affect who gets heard, who gets credit, and what gets done at work. New York.