Two-thirds Of Kiwi Workers Recall Male Ceos, Not Female When Asked

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On the eve of International Women’s Day (8 March), a survey of 1,646 New Zealand workers were asked to think of a CEO – and when asked about the CEO’s gender, 65 percent said the leader they had in mind was male.

The poll, conducted by Frog Recruitment, was almost evenly split between male and female participants, with two-thirds of Gen Z - often referred to as the ‘woke’ generation – answering the question with a male CEO in mind.

The result starkly contrasts the survey conducted with Australian workers, whose Gen Z response was a 50/50 split between male and female CEOs. Australian workers older than 50 years revealed a more traditional view, with 75 percent of respondents considering a male CEO.

Frog Recruitment Managing Director Shannon Barlow said these results may explain why gender bias still occurs during recruitment.

“Thirty-two percent of workers have told us that at the interview stage for a prospective job, they have felt discriminated by their gender.”

Barlow said that while these recent numbers likely show an unconscious bias, the results are disappointing.

“In 2023, it’s unacceptable that we still have a gender bias blatantly evident in the recruitment process. It is letting down thousands of Kiwi employers who consciously take a fair and equitable approach to their hiring diversely, equitably and inclusively.

“There has been a real shift and focus on recruitment equity and how an employer engages with candidates and new employees in the past five years. How they back up the talk around who they are as a business is an important thread in their hiring tapestry and their brand experience.”

Barlow said addressing the bias is critical to rewriting gender norms and closing the gender pay gap – something more men feel compelled to do.

She says Frog Recruitment fully supports Embracing Equity, the International Women’s Day theme this year, encouraging everyone to actively challenge stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek inclusion – collectively forging a positive change.

Barlow suggests organisations can take steps to combat bias in the recruiting process, the first being to ensure you have a diverse hiring team.

“Subconsciously, people tend to recruit and attract people like themselves, and you can have a similarity bias. To offset this, we recommend involving multiple colleagues, so there is diversity in the interview process.

“Secondly, have clear hiring objectives before the interview process commences so you can ensure consistency is maintained. This can be sticking to a scoring or matrix system on how candidates’ abilities and skills are assessed. This eliminates the risk of variable questioning, where candidates can get asked different questions in every interview.”

She says it’s critical this process is much more than tokenism, that it influences others and influences change for good.

“Cutting out gender bias will showcase strong role models within a business, but it also helps leaders to understand the needs and challenges of the diverse range of stakeholders the organisation can potentially connect with.”