The act of doing a task or activity, especially how well it is done. It also means a show given for an audience, like a play, concert, or dance.
From Old French “parfornir” meaning “to carry out, to complete,” later “performance” in English. The word slowly shifted from the idea of carrying something through to the result or show itself.
Performance is both about results and about display: how well you do and how you appear doing it. Even in everyday life—school, sports, jobs—you’re constantly ‘performing,’ whether there’s a stage or not.
Discussions of 'performance' in workplaces and arts have historically been gendered, with women’s performance undervalued or judged by different standards. Performance reviews and evaluations have often reflected gender bias in expectations and recognition.
When evaluating performance, focus on clear, role-related criteria and avoid gendered descriptors (e.g., calling women 'emotional' and men 'decisive' for similar behavior).
Women researchers in organizational psychology and economics have been key in documenting gender bias in performance evaluations and proposing fairer assessment methods.
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