Uncovering Unconscious Gender Bias in the Workplace

By now, most working Americans are aware that a wage gap exists; they’ve heard the common statement that for every dollar a man earns, women doing the same position earn 80 cents. In recent years, this bias has gained greater awareness, leading to more workers demanding fair pay and companies reexamining their policies. However, as more people rally to close the wage gap and fight for other advancements in the workplace, it’s important to look at the day-to-day unconscious biases that foster these policies.

Jeffery Tobias Halter, President of YWomen, consults clients on women’s leadership advancement and the importance of engaging men in the process. He says that common industry stereotypes still persist, but more companies are investing in changing that attitude.

“Great leaders are starting these important conversations throughout every level of the company,” said Halter. “They’re showing by example that the workplace should be a fair and equitable place for everyone.”

Asha Dahya, Creator & Editor-in-Chief of Girl Talk HQ, a daily women’s news media site that covers careers and women in leadership, says that these unconscious assumptions in the workplace can be extremely disheartening and tough to address since there isn’t outwardly direct bias like lesser pay.

“Some general examples include assuming that women prefer administration roles, as opposed to typically male-dominated roles such as executives, programmers, engineers, or aspiring to climb the corporate ladder in a leadership role,” said Dahya “In multiple industry settings, people assume the woman in the room is the assistant or secretary, when in fact she is the director, or manager etc. As a society, we are conditioned to see women and men in certain ‘default’ positions.”

Halter says that even senior level women face these outdated notions.

“There’s still expectations that women will follow certain stereotypes, like handling administrative tasks such as being responsible for taking notes at meetings, helping with company events,” said Halter.

Women who climb to the top of the ladder also often face greater scrutiny for the same management style as their peers. In 2016, only 4 percent of companies on the Fortune 500 list had women CEO’s. Why is it so hard for a woman to break through? The reasons are far and wide-ranging, but one aspect is the magnified critique of how a woman manages.

“Men can be very loud and assertive and are given more leeway in emotion. Whereas, women, when they act the same way or act too soft, are negatively labeled either way,” said Halter.

As women progress throughout their career, personal lives are also more closely, but quietly judged and taken into account. By choosing to marry and have children, this decision can be calculated by management as a hindrance to the high expectations of an executive role. Even if a woman stays single, leadership may question why that is and perceive it as a negative based off the norm.

When Beth Caron, director of franchise development at Great Clips*, was finishing up the final days of her maternity leave, her boss asked if she could go on a 4-day business trip right after she returned to the office. As a new mom, Caron knew this was out of the question, but to some of her male peers, this was a normal request. 

"My boss is amazing and I'm incredibly thankful to work at such a respectful and responsive company," said Caron. "Often times, it just takes educating people on the fact that when I go home, I continue working. My day doesn't end after I leave the office; sometimes I have to be even more on."

On the other hand, Caron says that it can be extremely frustrating when she hears that female bosses aren't always understanding of a woman's needs. 

"Generationally, these women have had to fight harder to get where they are. They worked in a man's world and were never given those opportunities, so they might think, "Why should you get it when we never did?"' said Caron.

While these mindsets can be especially damaging, they're adjusting along with how women approach these outdated policies and stereotypes. More women are fighting the assumption of what types of jobs they should have, how they're expected to act and so on. All of these subtle changes are key to reducing unconscious gender bias and fixing the way we perceive women in the workplace.