I want a woman

Is that a woman? I was perturbed by the question. I had approached a friend for a potential job opening in his organization for an acquaintance. When we talking about a possible opportunity, the focus should be on capabilities. So why was my friend asking me about the gender of the candidate?

After my initial negative emotions settled down, I responded. That question doesn't sound right. Anyone hearing this question would misinterpret it and form an unpopular opinion about my friend and his organization. My friend immediately realized his folly, and he apologized. Then he explained the reason behind his ask. Recently, an HR executive had raised a concern about his unit. His unit had only men. To comply with the gender diversity rules, my friend is busy looking for a woman to fill one of the vacancies.

A team should have diverse perspectives. It helps a great in the output. Hence organizations are driving diversity initiatives. Diversity has several dimensions, with gender being one among them. What bothers me is the simplistic approach people take to cater to the demands of an organization. Let's fill 50% of the positions with a suitable gender. Isn't this approach a form of discrimination?

In my opinion, my friend's organization has only a part of the data. There aren't enough women in his unit. Aren't they overlooking a critical question? Did any woman apply for this position? Why were they rejected if they did apply? If the hiring manager was prejudiced, then there should be a corrective action if not a disciplinary action. If the women were rejected based on lack of necessary skills, then there should be a training drive. If women are not applying for this job, then the organization should raise the awareness of such opportunities in the internal forums.

All the above will require going through data and conducting interviews. The right way is not always the easy way.

Photo Courtesy: grr