What could go wrong? Some unintended consequences of gender bias interventions.

Abstract

Despite decades of change and repeated attempts by organizations to reduce gender inequality, progress for women in top leadership positions seems to have stalled. This article considers why some of the strategies organizations use to mitigate gender bias do not have their intended consequence, contending that interventions can sometimes backfire and create more problems than they solve. Specifically, we identify how even well-designed interventions can inadvertently increase rather than decrease the tendency to behave in a biased manner and also discuss unintended consequences that can arise once an organization begins to move closer to achieving gender parity. We argue that being attentive to these potential problems and knowledgeable about when and why they occur will increase the effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce gender bias and will equip organizations with better strategies for progressing toward true gender equality.

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