Is HRM Really a Gender Biased Field?
Is HRM Really a Gender Biased Field?
“Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus.” – John Gray. Is HRM Really a Gender Biased Field?
The difference between the two genders is long battled. Where the dominant male workplace was the cause of many revolutions, now the HR position is supposed to be the cause of inequality. If you take a quick spin you will notice, women are much likely seen as the Human Resource Managers.
Why is it so? Does it mean women are better at people management than men? Or is it like women are preferred over men to take up this job role? Well, to be honest, it is none of the above.
An HR manager is said to be the face of the company. One most prominent reason for supposed female dominance over this designation could be that women are considered more friendly, warm, kind, nice and welcoming, which is true to some extent. Therefore, employing them as the representative of the company brings a lot of attention from prospective employees.
But, this one reason doesn’t quantify the notion that HRM is a gender-biased field. The myth and assumptions need to be justified. Below are some interesting facts and examples that will throw light on this subject. Read on.
Cues of a Successful Human Resource Manager
There are different parameters-that define a frame for an ideal HR manager. Apart from the MBA Human Resource Management degree, HR should possess the following qualities:
- Being empathetic works for HRs.
- Must be a team player and a problem solver.
- It should be people-friendly since their work involves lots of interaction every day.
- Must possess the quality of diplomacy. For a simple reason, HR is the link between the higher level and executive level; they should always know an in-between way.
- It should be a good differentiated. Simply put, an HR must be able to read between the lines. For example body language, gestures, expressions always say what one means – an HR personnel must be able to get that.
- Must be well organized. As HR holds lots of information and data from a company’s employees, it is highly significant to keep all the documents in a streamlined manner. So, you don’t have to spend hours searching for a particular file.
- Practice what you preach. Following the rules and guidelines of a company without irking is another characteristic an HR should possess. After all, you cannot ask people to abide by the guiding principles, if you yourself are careless towards them.
- Another very important quality an HR must hone is Clear Communication. Both your verbal and written communication skills need to be sharp. For a simple reason, you are the point of contact for every happening, event, announcement, etc. If your communication is weak, you won’t be able to relay information clearly and successfully to employees at all levels.
Just saying, the above qualities or key skills don’t define that this job role is women eccentric or male dominant. It is our perception that has made this field look like a gender-biased field. Mentioned below are some statistics that will give more clarity on this topic.
The Statistics of Women HR vs. Men HR
As per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, here are some facts and figures that can help simplify the concern of the subject.
- It’s true that more than 76% of HR Managers are women, but male HR Managers earn 40% more than their female counterparts. Where female HR Managers hold an average median weekly salary of $1,300, male HR Managers earn $1,827 approx.
- Likewise, in the HR Worker category, men earn 38% more than women. Female HR Workers make an average median weekly salary of $912 compared to $1,257 for men. It is also intriguing to note that male HR Workers are being paid almost the same average weekly median salaries as females holding the more senior HR Manager role.
- Lastly, in the HR Executive’s “HR’s Elite: Class of 2013” list, only 11 of the 50 top-earning HR leaders were women. Think about the remaining number. Men HRs right?
Is HRM Really Just for Women?
So, if you look at the data and figures, you might get to the conclusion that the scope is equal for both genders. There’s no lagging behind in the chances and opportunities offered.
Names like
Dave Ulrich,
Ajoyendra Mukherjee (Head of Global HR, TCS),
Laszlo Bock – SVP, People Operations Google,
Rajan Dutta, (President-Corporate HR, Reliance Communications) and so forth are examples that prove HRM is afield that demands compliance and commitment. The field has not restricted its parameters to men or women. It welcomes those who yearn for it.
Is HRM Really a Gender Biased Field?
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