In a course dedicated to the elevation and understanding of female leadership, the topic of allyship was an understandable and inevitable one as part of Saroca’s LeadHERship program.
In session eight (previous write-ups can be found in GI Friday, Trafficology and the Gambling Insider website), Saroca Co-Founder Emily Leeb took us through the concept of unconscious bias, what it means to be an ally and active steps we can take to support women and other minorities within the gaming industry.
Unconscious bias
Leeb began the session by taking us through an exercise in unconscious bias. In summary, this meant closing our eyes and running through a scenario – getting up in the morning, getting on a bus, going to the doctor’s office and running into a couple having lunch at a coffee shop. In this scenario, Leeb refrained from using words describing the gender, race or other traits of the individuals involved. Instead, it was our unconscious bias that filled in the blanks.
What was the race and gender of the bus driver, the doctor? Were the couple at the coffee shop young, old, gay, straight? Running through this scenario and picking up on your unconscious biases is a powerful reflection on how you understand the world on a certain level, giving you the tools you need to begin challenging it.
Being an ally
So, with an understanding that bias exists in all of us, how can we be better allies to women and other minority groups, especially in the gaming industry?
Several topics of conversation soon emerged. One was of sexist comments that may come off as ones of care or concern – such as men being concerned for the workload and personal life of mothers, but not of fathers. Would you ask those questions to a man, or is this unconscious bias raising its head?
Another topic was that of sexism from women. Women have often been pitted against one another, working against each other rather than working with one another. Understanding this and deconstructing it, knowing that multiple women can share the spotlight, is important to challenging internalised misogyny in women, while also allowing for more gender diversity in executive positions in the gaming industry.
What did I learn?
In order to be allies, women need to use their voices to highlight instances of bias against minority groups, even if those conversations are tricky. Some may not realise what they are saying comes from a place of bias – which makes pointing it out all the more important.
Moreover, being a mentor to other women is essential, both in tackling misogyny among women and diversifying the industry. Giving other women the boost they need to make a name for themselves within the industry is crucial to diversifying the gaming market and is also a practical solution to the issue that can be actively undertaken.
