Contribution by Stephanie Benay, CRSP
Women in Safety and International Women’s Day, March 8th
I have been working in the safety industry for 25 years now and it has changed significantly in how we approach occupational health and safety. I am excited for the progression from safety cop to partner in safe work execution. I wish I could say that I’ve seen that same evolution for women in our industry, but I haven’t.
Let me explain.
In 2017, a group of female safety professionals gathered in Calgary to discuss issues we were each facing in our careers. There were women from all industries there, all stages of their careers and from different roles within safety like corporate professionals, technicians and consultants.
The conversation was robust, with many issues identified and us recognizing that viable solutions were more achievable if we worked together. We discussed many of the same problems that had been in existence since early in my career such as the bullying and harassment of women in safety, sexual violence at worksites, lack of appropriately fitted PPE, lack of opportunity to for field based roles or to advance and the bias against young female professionals. These were the same experiences I had as a young woman in safety and regardless of company wide policies around psychological safety and violence, it was not improving.
For our more seasoned professionals, the sexism they experienced was often in language such as “can she do it?” or focused on whether she could balance career advancement with her family obligations, something not discussed for male counterparts. The focus of potential advancement was often around her emotional or mental capacity versus her skillset and demonstrated experience. It showed up in microaggressions in language around the office, with her ideas being ignored or negatively portrayed as being uninformed and the same idea presented by a male colleague being applauded for being strategic. We discussed the glass ceiling we were experiencing, with safety professionals of all genders not being able to get a seat at the executive level tables. We lacked professional mentorship, educational opportunities and industry networking.
That day, the Women in Occupational Health and Safety Society (www.WOHSS.com) was born and we, collectively with our sisters, brothers and others across Canada, decided to be the change we wanted to see in our industry. We’ve had many a critic. People who say we shouldn’t call out these issues, that they aren’t really issues, or that women already are taking jobs, what more could we want? Yes, we get those remarks from all genders. We have incredible support too. Our strategic partnership with the BCRSP is one such relationship where it is recognized that a diverse, inclusive and equitable workforce is better for our industry.
I look forward to the day when I’m not sitting with women who are working in the field and the conversation doesn’t revolve around the latest hardware for our hotel or camp room door handles designed to keep intruders out. I look forward to the day when a female professional isn’t referred to as a bitch or asked if she’s on her period when she challenges someone in conversation. I look forward to the day when a young female safety professional’s value or leadership isn’t questioned when she’s in the field with her lesser experienced male colleagues. I look forward to the day when an opportunity for advancement is given equitably, and someone’s family or marriage status isn’t an unspoken part of the criteria. I look forward to the day the female safety professional isn’t asked to get coffee, plan the office party or take minutes because “women are better at that”. I look forward to the day when I’m not asked if my husband approves of my career or if I feel guilty for not being at home more for my children as they were growing. I look forward to the day that when a woman can express emotion and is not described as being overly emotional and conversely, when unemotional, not described as not being maternal enough. I look forward to the day the value of the safety professional is seen as exceptional, with insight into all aspects of the business, and we have a seat at the executive table, if not the head seat.
Tuesday, March 8th is International Women’s Day and this year’s theme is #breakthebias. My ask of you is that we start as an industry to collectively call out the bias we see, that we challenge gender stereotypes, and call out gendered actions or assumptions in our workplaces.
Thursday March 10th is the third Women in Safety summit here in Canada (www.womeninsafety.ca). If you want to understand how to better support the women you work with, understand the issues we face or show your support, join a thousand of your colleagues from across Canada in this virtual summit.
Lastly, thank you for all your support for women in all industries and being our champions.
Stephanie
#BreakTheBias