Time to #BreaktheBias: International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March each year and this year’s theme is #BreakTheBias. It’s a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the globe and marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
Through our work with GAIN, Cundall’s employee-led gender affinity network, we are passionate about our commitment to making Cundall, and our industry and communities more gender inclusive. We work in partnership with leadership and staff across the global practice to foster an inclusive and diverse working environment that encourages a culture of respect and equality for women and gender minorities.
To mark International Women’s Day 2022, we’ve spoken to people from around the practice about the role they play in diversity and how we can move the industry forward together in breaking the bias.
Sarah Linnell, Engineer (London)
How have you broken down stereotypes and challenged bias?
I believe that my participation in one of the COP26 events showed the international stage that young women can confidently contribute to conversations about the future of engineering. I hope this has set a precedent for similar events to come. I’ve learned that regardless of the platform, if you are in the ‘room’ then you have an invitation to share your thoughts and that shouldn’t be squandered. Greater diversity at such events challenges bias and facilitates more creativity.
What do we need to do as an industry to break the bias?
We need to normalise diversity in all settings to push the industry forward. One way I think is to provide more opportunities for young professionals, especially women, to contribute to strategy level conversations and for their words to be actively listened to.
How do you pledge to break the bias in 2022?
To support and encourage other young women within Cundall to step out into opportunities. To actively validate their voice being heard.
Lee French, Partner, Operations Director MENA (Dubai)
What do we need to do as an industry to break the bias?
From my experience in the industry, ignorance is bliss. I think there are those who genuinely do not understand it enough to believe it (or who are in denial), and this causes the continuous bias cycle to continue. The way to break the bias is to be part of every discussion and it not feeling like a subject we cannot acknowledge. This, coupled with education and it being an inherent part of our processes, will create the consciousness and eventually will lead to understanding and then action.
Tell us about a woman who has inspired you
I have to say my wife, Laura. She is so passionate about equality, diversity and inclusivity and shouting it from the rooftops. She runs her own business and uses it as a platform to elevate and empower women in the most positive of ways. Also looking at it through an educational lens has inspired me to always look beneath and beyond.
How do you pledge to break the bias in 2022?
I am going to pay it forward. I have been lucky enough to have been provided with opportunities to see bias and diversity for what it is and the opportunities to discuss it freely. I am also privileged to be in a position where I can influence others, and this is my pledge for 2022. To influence others, affect the process and give people the opportunities to talk on a level.
Celine Cannam, Principal Engineer (Sydney)
How have you broken down stereotypes and challenged bias?
For me, the highest compliment would be feeling like my gender is irrelevant to me being an engineer. We don’t need a specific focus on woman in engineering. We are simply considered good engineers alongside our peers. I have always called out any behavior towards me that has been out of line and ensured that, whoever it was, they understood why their behavior wasn’t acceptable. We all must ensure that any negative behavior we witness is not ignored.
What do we need to do as an industry to break the bias?
There are a few actions everyone can take to encourage women to join the industry and more importantly remain in the industry.
- Ensure family flexibility is accepted and practiced (both for men and women)
- Ensure negative behavior isn’t ignored
- Provide equal opportunity on projects to ensure adequate experience is offered to all
- Increase awareness of engineering fields and job opportunities
- Early exposure to science and maths
Tell us about a woman who has inspired you
The woman who has inspired me the most would have to be my mum. She held a full-time teaching job and looked after the four of us, demonstrating first-hand the importance of having a career and also looking after a family. As a working mother now, I realise how hard she worked and how her dedication shaped my siblings and I. Being surrounded by engineers growing up meant that she encouraged me to complete an engineering degree. The rest is history.
Chris Leung, Associate (Hong Kong)
How have you broken down stereotypes and challenged bias?
Stereotypes and biases exist in both the perpetuator and the foci. Some are self-reinforcing and self-depreciating, and some are cultural. It is important for everyone to realise that stereotypes and biases will exist, and we cannot ultimately get rid of them. Thus, the question is how to we minimise and lessen it and not let it become the focus instead of the work that has to be done.
What do we need to do as an industry to break the bias?
As an industry, we must break the bias by separating technical skills from other aspects when evaluating the performance of an engineer. We need to recognise that it will never be completely fair but we must accommodate our differences. We should provide equal opportunities and accommodate - where possible - for the personal preferences of different genders, races and backgrounds.
Tell us about a woman who has inspired you.
Two of my fellow engineers and colleagues at Cundall, Karen Shi and Edith Yiu have inspired me with the challenges that they have overcome in their engineering journey. These challenges are not generally what I as a man would face, such as the balances of cultural expectations and of motherhood. The balancing act between being labelled as aggressive and unfeminine if they stood their ground or being too timid if they did not.
How do you pledge to break the bias in 2022?
To continue to break the bias, I will continue to have the same performance expectations irrespective of gender, race and other parameters. Where I can, I will lend my reputation to convince some of our clients to allow those engineers who are capable to assume more leading roles. At the same time, giving reinforcement and courage to those engineers to go out and achieve.
Horia Iliescu, Director (Bucharest)
How have you broken down stereotypes and challenged bias?
In our line of work there has always been a great expectation for only men to be involved which influenced me unconsciously into being a part of the bias. I did not fully understand how this behavior negatively affected the women around me, professionally as well as personally. Once I admitted I was a part of the problem too, I started to make more effort to break down stereotypes and challenge bias, by using my position at Cundall to give a voice to women in our company as well as more opportunities for them to succeed.
Tell us about a woman who has inspired you.
Thanks to my fellow female colleagues, I am now aware of the difficulties that they have faced and overcame over the years. I therefore find the women working in Cundall an inspiration every day. Their continuous effort to make a difference within the industry will only improve our work environment and will represent one of the greatest assets that we will need in our company moving forward.
How do you pledge to break the bias in 2022?
Seeing meaningful measures taken all over the world has led me to believe that we can make an even bigger difference. I will continue doing my efforts to challenge the bias with every opportunity possible by showing my full support to the women in Cundall and in my personal life.
To find out more about Cundall’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy click below.
