When the proportion of women in a sector reaches 75%, men lose interest. According to researchers at the University of Zurich, men are twice as likely to leave a profession when women become the majority gender, compared to those in which there are only 25% women. While this observation is nothing new in the teaching, legal and medical professions, the study highlights broader resistance to diversity in other fields. Do women and men not enjoy working together? Let’s talk about it!

Resistance to diversity

Everyone seems to be in favor of diversity

When asked about their position on diversity, most people are in favor. More than 80% believe that diversity benefits companies.

There’s the promise of greater openness to others, better balance, and healthier regulation of professional relationships. It is widely believed that women and men should have equal access to all professions, and similar levels of remuneration for equivalent skills and experience.

The weight of social gender markers in our concrete understanding of gender diversity

But here’s the thing: when diversity becomes reality and people are forced to change their habits, behave differently, or renegotiate their position in the company, diversity loses its appeal.

That’s because our education system is heavily influenced by gender differentiation. People behave differently when it’s  “just the girls” or “just the guys” compared with when both genders are present. On top of that, heteronormativity further skews the dynamic. We’ve been fed so many ideas about femininity and masculinity, the perceptions and expectations of men with regards to women (and vice versa), seduction, impossible friendships, rivalries, and jealousies within our own gender that the mere presence of the other is presumed to set all of this in motion!

We may have analyzed the situation and understood that our difficulties in “creating diversity” are the result of social constructs that are mostly absurd, and in any case outdated, but we still resist. Despite our better knowledge, we continue to look for single-gender spaces, which seem more protective, more comfortable; spaces where we can be our “true selves”.

Are men more bothered by mixed environments than women?

Men are more resistant to gender mixing

But do women and men have the same level of reluctance towards gender mixing? The authors of the University of Zurich study say no: men are more reluctant than women, especially when diversity gains ground in traditionally male-dominated areas. They will therefore willingly leave jobs and sectors after women begin arriving. The fields of teaching, law, childcare and psychology are not what they used to be, because now women work in them too!

When more women work in a field, does that field become less valued?

It is obviously more nuanced than that, but this “male exodus” does seem to suggest the enduring effects of unequal valuation of the sexes. Coined by Françoise Héritier, this concept suggests that whatever is considered to be feminine is devalued (particularly in terms of economic recognition) while, conversely, what is attributed to masculinity gains value.

The example often cited is as follows: if your daughter wants to become an engineer, she would be considered successful and it would be a great source of pride for the whole family; but if your son wants to be a childcare worker, it would be viewed with suspicion; you might even be a little disappointed (he could at least have thought about being a pediatrician)!

“Masculine” professions fare better, and the fruits of their efforts are said to create wealth across an entire value chain. Is it a coincidence, then, that as more women join a profession, its value declines?

Women are more in favor of diversity, but…

Women are proving to be more demanding of mixed-gender environments. They perceive the presence of men as a regulator of “overly feminine” atmospheres, in which women are said to be at each other’s throats, or tend to play dirty tricks (in truth, this is no more the case than in “masculine environments”, but prejudices die hard).

They also expect diversity to enhance the value of their professions, but without men taking all the power. In France, the profession of midwife (sage-femme or wise woman in French) being renamed maieutician when the sector wanted to attract more men to the field, is interesting. Recognition for midwives has increased, with growing awareness among male students. Yet within the midwifery profession, there is no talk of male colleagues being hailed as heroes, nor acceptance that men are routinely taken for doctors by patients and their families, while women are still all too often assumed to be support staff. Another example is the social and solidarity economy (SSE). Women drive things in that sector, but it is governed and led mostly by men. Not exactly the ideal that gender diversity activists had in mind!

Making diversity more comfortable

Diversity is successful because it’s disruptive

For about fifteen years, diversity has been promoted because it leads to improved performance. Managers can see that clearly, but team members on the ground sometimes struggle to take the same view. Because the driving force behind improved performance brought about by diversity is that there needs to be a challenge. Diversity is a powerful instigator of organizational transformation because it forces people to compare viewpoints, question ways of doing things, challenge attitudes, and even renegotiate the criteria for competence or high quality of work.

It’s an exciting challenge, but it’s very energy-intensive, even downright exhausting. To keep people in favor of diversity throughout companies, we still need to find the right balance between the stimulation induced by change and the fundamental need for familiarity and comfort.

Diversity is an opportunity for change!

In other words, diversity is all about “change management”, which requires methods, resources, indicators and above all… time! Not necessarily because diversity is a long game (if anything, the real challenge is speeding it up) but because it demands time in the day-to-day. Time to understand the issues facing different groups and the needs of each individual. Time to address the frustrations and tensions it can bring. And time to celebrate progress while recognizing those who make it happen.