Gender equity in the hiring process

Sara Shapiro-Plevan (GS ’96) and Rabbi Rebecca Wolitz Sirbu (RS ’00) were tired of being asked inappropriate questions at job interviews. From queries about their abilities to balance work and childcare to comments about their physical appearances, they’d heard it all. They decided the time had come to do something about the gender inequality in today’s hiring processes, and, with the help of a 2018 Seeds of Innovation grant, they’re working to create change. Over the summer of 2018, they listened to female allies and thought leaders in Jewish communal life to learn about their experiences and ideas for the challenge ahead as they began to design The Gender Equity in Hiring in the Jewish Community Project with colleague Allison Fine. Their goal is to redesign the hiring process to generate gender equity – a more equitable workplace for everyone, in the hiring process and beyond.