Ever felt like something is just “off” at work? As though you’re doing everything right but just not quite getting the feedback or recognition you’d expect? Chances are, you’re experiencing gender bias in the workplace without even realising it.

What does gender bias in the workplace look like?

Gender bias can appear in countless different forms in the workplace. Typically, it occurs when men are favoured over women. Some will feel more obvious whilst others might be disguised as other frustrations.

Examples of gender bias in the workplace include:

• Gender pay gap – this happens when men are paid more than women for the exact same role
• Lack of women in leadership roles – you might notice that senior leaders are primarily men
• Fewer opportunities for women – this occurs when women are less likely to be put forward for new opportunities such as promotions or special projects
• Biased benefit schemes – when benefit schemes are designed with men in mind and offer benefits that are less relevant to women
• Sexual harassment – this is an extreme form of gender bias, when a woman is harassed in the workplace
• Lack of recognition – this happens when women’s ideas go ignored and are less likely to be acted upon

Why is gender bias in the workplace so common?

Almost every workplace in the world experiences a gender bias. So why is it so common?

There’s a common misconception that women will leave the workplace before their male counterparts. This links back to the belief that all women are, or want to be, mothers. And, therefore, will require more life-work balance.

Workplaces often believe that women will:

• Work fewer hours
• Require more time off
• Won’t always be available if they’re in a leadership position
• Won’t be willing to travel for work
• Will want more flexible work hours
• Will want to work part-time

This misconception leads to companies typically favouring men and rewarding them accordingly. And so, the culture replicates itself. With a patriarchal environment dominating big businesses to this day.

However, research shows that it’s not just women struggling with balance at work:

“Women weren’t held back because of trouble balancing the competing demands of work and family—men, too, suffered from the balance problem and nevertheless advanced.

Women were held back because, unlike men, they were encouraged to take accommodations, such as going part-time and shifting to internally facing roles, which derailed their careers. The real culprit was a general culture of overwork that hurt both men and women and locked gender inequality in place.”

The problem isn’t that women are less “capable”. The problem is that our workplaces aren’t set up to support our lives.

A personal story of gender bias in the workplace

I’ve seen gender bias show up in the workplace far too many times, especially when I was working in the male-dominated construction industry.

One experience springs to mind.

I was asked to attend a meeting for a new regional association that was being created here in Brunei. During the course of the meeting, we had a vote on who would take on the role of president of the association.

Both myself and another attendee (a man) received the same number of votes.

When it came down to making the final decision, the rest of the attendees (who were primarily male) decided that it’d be better for the presidency to go to the male candidate.

Their reason? Because I was a woman, they felt it’d be “difficult for me to travel to represent the association”. They suggested that the role of secretary of the association would be better suited to me. Naturally, I declined and left the association.

Another experience that happened all too frequently took place when I arrived for meetings at various building sites. It was usually assumed that I was there to attend the meeting and not to chair it.

The impact of gender bias in the workplace

For employees

When employees experience gender bias in the workplace, it’s naturally going to impact their approach and attitude to their work.

They’re going to receive fewer opportunities. They’re less likely to get promoted and less likely to be paid in line with their male counterparts.

As a result, they may feel ostracised. Which will leave them either feeling the need to play “catch up” (often leading to burnout) or forcing them to quit their jobs altogether.

For employers

As you can see, a workplace that has a gender bias won’t get the best out of its employees. It’s instantly losing a huge talent pool that could have a momentous impact on its business.

At the same time, gender bias is a discriminatory (and typically illegal) practice. It can be damaging to a company’s reputation, impact its sales and force employees to leave.

It’s simply not good business.

What to do if you experience gender bias in the workplace

Show up and stand in your power

This requires incredible determination but is essential. You need to put yourself forward and make your value so obvious that it can’t be ignored.

You can voice your opinions. You can share your ideas. You can have different ways of doing things.

But you need to believe in yourself. One way I coach my clients to do this is to take small steps to boost their confidence.

Tools like your sunshine folder also help. Sometimes you just need to remember how much you’ve achieved and how incredible you are (yes, you!) to get that shot of confidence you need.

When you secure your leadership position, bring other women with you

Women are incredible at lifting other women up.

When you reach a leadership position, take a look at how you can make it easier for other women to join you. Can you promote better inclusion of women in your workplace? Could you mentor another woman to help her progress too?

Work with other women in your workplace to amplify your voices

President Obama’s administration was famously diverse. Yet, it still struggled with a gender bias problem.

Women in the workplace were struggling to get their ideas heard and recognised. So, they banded together and adopted a strategy that they named “amplification”.

Each time a woman made a key point, other women would repeat it whilst crediting its original author. This meant that no idea could be ignored. And no man could steal a woman’s contribution.

Raise the problem of gender bias with your HR team

Ultimately, it shouldn’t have to be your responsibility to “fix” your workplace’s gender bias problem.

Whilst there are steps you can take to support your fellow women, it’s your organisation’s duty to create a workplace that’s inclusive for everyone.

If you feel comfortable doing so, share your experience of gender bias with your HR department. Take as much evidence as you can with you and start an open dialogue with them. Explain that you want to work together to rectify this.

How your company can tackle gender bias in the workplace

Focus on your diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives

The first step to fixing the problem of gender bias in the workplace is understanding the problem.

Use your DEI initiatives to find the best ways to support women within your workplace. You could even work with an external consultant who specialises in gender to support the process and share best practices.

Start reporting your gender pay gap

The UK has made it mandatory for employers with 250 or more employees to report on their gender pay gap each year.

No matter the size of your organisation, you can follow suit and take your own initiative. Make reporting your gender pay gap a regular part of your end-of-year reviews. And use your learnings to take action to rectify it over the following 12 months.

Create a more welcoming workplace for women

Could your company be penalising women?

If long working hours are the norm, then the answer is probably yes. One of the first steps to creating a more welcoming workplace for women is through flexible working.

Check your workplace policies

In 2023, the Confederation of British Industry hit the UK headlines with a flurry of sexual misconduct allegations.

It then came to light that they didn’t appear to know how to handle the allegations. Your company needs to have a clear policy and process in place to handle workplace discrimination. One that supports those sharing their stories and encourages them to come forward.

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As you can see, the problem of gender bias doesn’t stand on its own. It’s part of a wider cultural issue. One that requires meaningful change across the entire organisation.