Is Your CRE Firm “Punishing” Entrepreneurs or Agents Who Display “Feminine” Traits?

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Commercial Real Estate

Although women have made great strides in the workplace, they continue to struggle when it comes to advancing within their own companies. Female entrepreneurs also tend to receive less funding than their male counterparts when pitching their business model or idea to a prospective investor. It has long been assumed that this bias was based on gender, but a new study offers a different perspective - that women are not being penalized for being female, but for displaying what society considers to be “stereotypically feminine traits.” Is your CRE investment firm guilty of punishing its agents and potential entrepreneurs in this way? Is there anything that can be done to mitigate the issue? The following information explains.

Study Examines Gender Bias in the Business World 

Women are generally seen as warm and nurturing, and though they take risks, they tend to be more concerned with easing people's fears than closing the deal. Published in the journal SAGE, the recent study pitted both male and female entrepreneurs against one another in a pitch competition. Investors selected finalists after hearing all of the pitches.

Study authors found that entrepreneurs were less likely to be chosen as finalists when they displayed stereotypically “feminine” traits (like warmth and expressiveness), regardless of their gender. In contrast, entrepreneurs that displayed more “masculine” traits, such as assertiveness and confidence in the face of risk, were more likely to be chosen - even if they were female. What this suggests is that bias in the business world is less about gender and more about what is seen as “weakness” or “vulnerability” - both of which are frowned upon in corporate arenas.

Putting Your Real Estate Firm's Stereotypical Gender Trait Biases Into Perspective 

On the one hand, it makes sense as to why investors typically overlook entrepreneurs and employees who display more feminine traits, but when companies are guilty of such biases, they run the risk that a highly talented individual or lucrative idea will walk out their doors. Perhaps the concept or person will go somewhere else and shine, or perhaps their full potential will never come to fruition. In either case, it could mean a lost opportunity for the company in question. Thankfully, it is possible to mitigate the issue - especially if you are aware that it exists.

How Our Naperville Real Estate Attorneys Can Help

At the end of the day, you have to make decisions that you feel will best serve your company - be it hiring an individual that seems more feminine in their traits and behavior, improving your firm's negotiation abilities, or simply ensuring that due diligence on each investment property is conducted thoroughly and by experienced professionals. Whatever your real estate needs, the Oak Brook commercial real estate lawyers at Lindell & Tessitore, P.C. can help. Call 630-228-2555 to schedule your personalized consultation with us today.

Source:

https://hbr.org/2018/10/research-investors-punish-entrepreneurs-for-stereotypically-feminine-behaviors