Equbusiness book VERSION 28SEPT2023 - Flipbook - Page 37
6.1 RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
Recruitment and selection practices can be considered the first and most important step in ensuring gender
equality in organizations (Clavero & Galligan, 2021). The recruitment process typically commences when a
department or organization identifies the need for a new employee. During this initial phase, considering the
current gender ratio within the department can benefit the organization. Proactively striving to maintain an
equitable balance between hires of all genders from the outset serves as an essential precursor to fostering
gender diversity, especially in upper management echelons. By prioritizing gender parity from the outset,
organizations lay a foundational step towards cultivating an environment conducive to the advancement of
women into senior leadership roles. Increasing the number of female employees can potentially expand the pool
of female candidates eligible for managerial roles. In this regard, the laws enacted by countries and the policies
and rules determined by organizations have been put forward as facilitating factors for women to take part in
certain sectors and positions. Affirmative action can be another way of ensuring women representation in certain
sectors and positions. Main opposition for affirmative action is the idea that main reason for organizational
selection and promotion should merit-based. Reverse-discrimination and beliefs about affirmative action
damages meritocracy and fairness is causing the opposition (Hing et al., 2002). Although there are debates and
criticisms on this issue, it is beneficial to continue affirmative action until it has reached an ideal level of women9s
representation where women have equal opportunities in areas they are underrepresented.
Sometimes gender quotas or targets in the workplace are often equated with 'incompetence', leading to the
unqualified selection of women. Whitter (2023) explores the origins of these misconceptions and proposes
strategies for addressing gender inequality and imbalance. Establishing goals will not only help brilliant women
be recognized and advance true equality in the workplace but will also assist ensure that the selection process
remains impartial and focused on qualifications. To ensure equal opportunities for women during the
recruitment process, job descriptions and postings must be crafted with attention to gender equality, beyond
merely applying quotas. The practice of some job postings explicitly or implicitly indicating one specific gender is
also a matter requiring rectification. Gaucher et al. (2011) highlighted in their study that social inequalities and
the prevailing gender-based division of labor are perpetuated through various means, with company
announcements serving as an example of this phenomenon. Whether intentional or unintentional, organizations
must review and update their job descriptions to eliminate biases. Organizations who want to do that should pay
attention to the following aspects:
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The job titles (for example, use
