International Women’s Day 2022: #BreakTheBias

International Women’s Day 2022

It’s #IWD2022, and the theme this year is #BreakTheBias. At Centra, there’s no room for bias as our Employee Owners strive to create the most diverse, inclusive, and supportive company in the industry. As in previous years, we’re marking this important occasion.

We asked some of the members of our amazing team what this year’s theme means to them. Here’s what they had to say on it, in their own words and through quotes that resonate with them.

Words from the Centra Team

The only way to break the bias is to make us all aware of our unconscious bias and how it shows up in our lives. Bias is a natural by-product of the way our brains work. To be human is to have bias; we can all work on questioning ourselves when it shows up in our lives. When you hear the word, “Mom” what words come to mind? Are these words different from the words you think of when you hear, “Dad”? Both of these words describe a parent and the only difference between them in gender. If the words you thought of were different for Mom vs Dad, this is how your bias is showing up. You can break the bias by acknowledging that it exists and question where your beliefs come from. We are all a work in progress and can be better people tomorrow with the work we do today. Let’s break the bias together and put in the work.

-Emily Parson, VP of Marketing

There’s no point in having a diverse group at the table if you pursue the same norms and ideas as in the past. Breaking the bias means everyone’s opinion is consciously and intentionally explored as if it were the next BIG idea.

-Jacquie Vandermeer, Marketing Coordinator

"The black female is assaulted in her tender years by all those common forces of nature at the same time that she is caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice, white illogical hate and Black lack of power." – quote by Maya Angelou.

This is a quote that has a great impact on me, especially on a day like today. Angelou raises awareness for the intersectional biases women of colour face in the world. It is important that we continue working towards tearing down these biases that do nothing but hinder our growth as a society.

-Pamela Milanzi, Customer Care Agent

“International Women’s Day isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” – Quote by G.D Anderson

-Bonnie Ahara, CCL Project Coordinator

There is this thought in the construction industry that women are not a good fit, whether it be in trades or sales it's not common unless your role is 'designer'. I'm proud to help people with making their homes better, and extra proud that we hire female Installers! I've never felt my gender held me back, and I'm confident my company feels the same!

-Shannon Clark, Sales Estimator

Be the woman who fixes another woman’s crown without telling the world it was crooked, and be the person that you needed when you were growing up.

-Krystle White, Customer Care Lead

When I think of "breaking the bias", I can't help but think of our wonderful female estimators, Natalie Honey and Shannon Clark. Construction is very much a male-dominated industry, so coming in to sell our product as a woman can't be easy at all. I know for a fact that Natalie and Shannon have had their fair share of strong personalities, but they never complain and their sales speak for themselves. Any woman (or man for that matter) looking to break into the industry would be smart to look to them for guidance.

-Molly Ede, Customer Care Supervisor

In case you missed it, you can check out our video for last year's International Women's Day #ChooseToChallenge right here: