"How do you #BreakTheBias?” 🙅‍♀️ 🙅‍♂️

Mar 08, 2022

In honor of International Women’s Day (8 March 2022), we asked #peopleofdelaware from all over the world if or how they experience gender inequality and what they do in order to #BreakTheBias – which is this year’s theme. Female and male colleagues pitch in and tell us exactly how they plan to tackle stereotypes, combat discrimination and put an end to gender inequality.

Larry Gourley, organizational change & training architect

"In the first 14 years of my career, my growth as a teacher and person was heavily influenced by strong women leaders. Upon joining the tech industry, I observed microaggressions that impacted retention and advancement of colleagues based on gender and other aspects of their identity.

To help #BreakTheBias, it became my goal to create a safe space as a team lead and influence growth & leadership opportunities whenever possible. Turning goals into actions requires a sounding board with someone to challenge assumptions about bias and call out strengths and weaknesses. A former colleague plays that role today and I value her humbling feedback.”

delaware North America

Lizzy Velasco, change management service line lead

“Leaning In – even before Sheryl Sandberg wrote her book, I had a woman partner who changed my mindset when it came to women and the roles we play in the organization. She told me to take a seat at the table – and not just any seat – the one at the head of the table. As women, our natural tendency is to be on the side or to allow others to have the seat, when in fact we need to take that place. A voice to be heard and listened to, ideas and insights that bring diversity and a breath of fresh air at every level of a conversation.

It is also then that I realized that women need to support women. We are enablers; from the words that we say to each other to removing our own ‘female’ biases (she's too ‘emotional’). I am proud to be a Perfectly Imperfect Woman & Leader. Our vulnerability, our femininity, our intuition, our nurturing side… Those are the characteristics that are unique to us and that allow us, our teams, and our organization to become better every single moment."

delaware North America

Antoine Van de Vyver, business analyst SAP

“Although IT is often pictured as a male-dominated industry, I firmly believe that every woman who wishes to work in this sector should be encouraged to do so. In addition, it is always more enjoyable and beneficial for everyone to be able to work and evolve in an environment that is as diverse as possible.”

delaware Belux

Nele Vijt, senior consultant & team lead SAP Customer Engagement

“In order for us to #BreakTheBias, we should never be afraid to speak up when we see or hear behavior that stems from bias. Try to uncover your implicit biases and have an open-minded discussion on this to learn from the experiences the other party may have had, rather than speaking from your own experiences, which are always colored.

People sometimes roll their eyes at me, followed by an ‘oh right, you’re a feminist’. And while I might see this as a compliment, they don’t mean it like that. Just because I’m calling them out on language that is biased. But would you ever describe a man as ‘bossy’? It’s small things like this that show there is still a lot of room for improvement. I believe it’s important to explain that, even when you don’t see the issue or the inequality, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t there.”

delaware Belux

William Tamaro, BI & data analytics lead

"In my humble opinion, people are not born with prejudice, but inherit it from society and family. To #BreakTheBias we must first question ourselves about misguiding beliefs and oppose to any form of prejudice. I support this cause by empowering people to reach the best of their abilities, both at work and in my personal life, regardless of their gender, orientation or color of skin."

delaware Brazil

Audrey Pessoa, finance consultant SAP

"I volunteered at an orphanage in Haiti for a year – an experience that definitely helped me to break stereotype bias. We often stereotype people of color from other countries. I feel like it is rooted in society. But, they are just like us, just born in different conditions. I thought that my experience would be about giving financial aid, but instead I received a love greater than I could have imagined. Let´s #BreakTheBias by donating our time to help others!"

delaware Brazil

Sparrow Zhang, senior functional consultant

“Stick to what you love and never be afraid of getting underestimated. It's worth changing the world's prejudice or disapproval of women step by step. Just bravely walk the path you set for yourself and be fearless in reaching for your goals and ambitions.”

delaware China

Adrien Lacroix, sales

“The extension of paternity leave in France to 21 days since 2021 is an encouraging signal to put men and women on an equal footing in the workplace: let's hope that we keep seeing efforts in this area for the benefit of everyone, and the joy of becoming parents!”

delaware France

Low Sze Ting, business analyst

“The stereotype of a woman afraid of bugs doesn’t have to be extended to the IT space! I’d run to get a bug fixed and that liberation and satisfaction of debugging definitely doesn’t need a stereotype. Break the bugs, #BreakTheBias!”

delaware Singapore

Pei Lin Yeo, managing director

“Everyone has biases, but not all biases are necessarily negative. Sometimes they come with good intentions, for example, when we assume that a new parent will want us to cut them some slack while he/she settles into their new role as a parent. I don’t think we can completely eliminate biases or stereotyping from our behavior, but we should all definitely exercise more self-awareness in our daily behavior to reduce it as much as possible.

While I am a minority (Female and Asian) in the delaware Partner group, I’ve truly never felt discriminated against ever. That’s the beauty of who we are… At delaware we treat everyone as an equal. And if you have a seat at the table, that’s because you have earned it. And that’s how we want to continue to operate. We don’t believe in putting a number on the amount of females to promote, but rather focus on putting in place policies, programs and mechanisms to support every single person in their career journey, regardless of gender, age, nationality, race or needs.”

delaware Singapore

Michel Verwijmeren, senior consultant

“As a new parent, I’m happy to be in charge of my work-life balance.”

delaware The Netherlands

Meagan Mirandilla, analyst logistics

“In society, women have to work twice as hard as any man just to gain the same level of respect. We are subject to misogynistic jokes and treatments. However, as more women take up leadership positions, it inspires me to continue to strive and reach my goals knowing that there is equal opportunity for all.”

delaware the Philippines

Anna Liza Flores, senior consultant

“Stereotyping — unintentional or not — takes away the subject's confidence in their individuality and self. In most cases, it affects their social interactions and inhibits them from doing what is beyond the ‘label’. Happy to be part of delaware! We value RESPECT for every individual. Regardless of gender, we can excel!”

delaware the Philippines

Chesca Gallegos, managing director

“Everyone deserves fair treatment and respect. Locally, since the modernization of the Philippines (post 80s), we have experienced a deeper sense of empowerment with jobs opening for us, including managerial and leadership level positions, across industries. However, that demand equates for us to still be homemakers full time and fit the “motherly” or “Maria Clara” image imposed on us, or be discriminated against on a job if we are with child.

Globally, experiencing this first hand, we are still viewed as service workers (nurses, caregivers, nannies, singers, dancers) only. With more and more women working in male-dominated jobs such as IT, we have already seen an increasing number of women taking on roles across all levels in an organization. One day, hopefully soon, I pray that women and Pinays alike may be perceived as equals in every facet (intelligence, compensation, opportunity).”

delaware The Philippines

Gender equality at delaware

At delaware, Corporate Social Responsibility is a vital part of our identity and our strategy, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals provide us with a strong framework to help us put words into actions. Especially the fifth Sustainable Development Goal “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” serves as an inspiration for our Diversity & Inclusion workforce. They aim to make delaware the best possible place to work for everyone, regardless of race, age, gender, disability, religious and cultural beliefs, or sexual orientation.

delaware firmly commits to creating an inclusive work environment that empowers all. Because we believe that a diverse workforce is the best guarantee for success for our employees, our customers and our partners.