Experiencing Sexism or Gender Bias at Work? You’re Not Alone.
Have you experienced sexism or gender bias at work? Or are you right now?
If you identify as a woman, transgender, or nonbinary, chances are good that your answer would be yes. Unfortunately, gender discrimination at work is all too common: over 42% of working women in the US and three fourths of transgender people have reported experiencing gender-based discrimination at work—and those figures are likely low. Though gender discrimination is the legal term, straight up sexism and bias also run rampant.
Where does this come from? One UN report found that almost 90% of people hold some sort of bias against women.
You read that right—people of all genders hold gender bias. Globally, close to 50% of men reported believing they had more right to a job than women, and 40% of people thought men made better business executives.
The weight and burden of systemic bias can leave women and gender non-conforming people feeling like the deck is stacked against them.
And if you’ve experienced this bias in the workplace—whether it be a small comment or jab—you know it can leave you feeling defeated, helpless, and exhausted. What can you do as one person to combat it? How do you start making change within your own workplace—and should that be your burden? The short answer: no, it shouldn’t be.
What is gender discrimination and how is it different from gender bias?
Gender bias refers to instances when an individual is treated differently based on their gender identity. When it crosses the line to discrimination in the workplace, it’s illegal. Though sex and gender are different things, “sex discrimination” and “gender discrimination” are used interchangeably in legal contexts.
Gender discrimination
Examples of when gender bias crosses the line over to illegal gender discrimination in the workplace include:
Being hired or fired based on gender (1 in 4 transgender people report having lost a job due to bias).
Pay being affected due to gender (25% of working women say they’ve earned less than a man who was doing the same job).
Interviews questions based on personal life/perceived gender expectations rather than qualifications.
Not being promoted or provided with training opportunities on the basis of gender (15% of working women say they’ve received less support from senior leaders than a man who was doing the same job).
Changes to, or assignments of, position or duties based on gender (1 in 10 working women say they’ve been passed over for the most important assignments because of their gender).
Changes to one’s job location, work shift or schedule due to gender.
Gender bias
Gender bias can take many different forms, including being treated differently or poorly due to gender—or not conforming to stereotyped gender norms—verbal and physical harassment, as well as sexual harassment. Experiences of gender bias are also impacted by other parts of identity, like race or ethnicity. For example, a woman of color might experience gender bias differently than a white woman—in performance reviews, promotions, etc.—due to her gender and her race.
It’s important to remember that although something may appear to be sex or gender bias, if it’s not affecting the terms or conditions of employment directly, it may not legally qualify as discrimination. Similar to workplace retaliation, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) explains that while many situations are unfair, they may not be unlawful.
Some examples of unfair vs. potentially unlawful:
Unfair
“My boss asked if I have or wanted kids one time in our check in. It made me uncomfortable.”
Unlawful
“My boss constantly berates me for taking time to care for my kids, gave me fewer hours over the next few shifts, and says that’s why he should never have hired a woman.”
“Coworkers were joking over Slack about dating in the pandemic. I stayed quiet because I don’t want to talk about my dating life. A coworker teased I must have something to share. Why do people feel the need to press on that?”
“I have a large amount of responsibility at my job, but my pay doesn't even come close to matching that level of work/responsibility. I learned that my male counterpart makes $20,000 more per year than I do. I was called into the office for a raise this January and they gave me a small raise, but the pay discrepancy is still $15,000.”
“My coworker rolls his eyes at me in every meeting when I talk. He seems to disregard almost everything women say.”
How to respond to gender discrimination in the workplace
Facing gender bias or discrimination in your workplace can feel deeply personal—because it is. It can be incredibly challenging and take a huge emotional, mental, and physical toll. People who reach out to EmpowerWork often share they’re having trouble sleeping, are feeling anxious, or may be angry and just exhausted from the battle.
Because what each person experiences is different, and each person has different things at stake, what works for someone else may not work for you, and vice versa.
That’s why it’s important to:
Take care of yourself and be sure you have the support you need.
Know your options before moving forward.
Having support and knowledge can be a powerful combination to help you take the next step that works for you.
Support
First, what support do you have for you? Friends, partners, family, and sometimes even coworkers can be helpful to listen and act as sounding boards. They may not be able to advise on actions, but they can be strong emotional support.
Support can also come through forums, online communities, and resources like Empower Work (our text line offers free, confidential support via trained peer counselors).
What’s key: having a go-to person or place where you feel safe and comfortable sharing what you’re experiencing and how it’s impacting you.
Options
Second, understanding your options will likely depend on your workplace. A company of hundreds of people with an HR department and a small mom-and-pop shop with five employees will often have different pathways to reporting or addressing the situation.
Some people feel comfortable raising their concerns with their manager (if the manager or supervisors isn’t the perpetrator).
A supportive manager can lend a listening ear and serve as an advocate. If they’ve been at the company long enough, they may even have experience with resolving such issues. In many companies, though, managers are required to report if someone discloses; that may be a consideration to take into account.
Oftentimes, this concern—or the fact that the manager is the person perpetuating the actions—holds people back from raising experiences of discrimination with their manager. According to a 2016 study by the EEOC, around three out of four people who experience workplace harassment don’t bring it up with a manager, supervisor, or union representative. Sharing, if you do feel comfortable, can be an important first step.
Other actions you might consider:
Document the instances and dates of the harassment or discrimination, either in an email thread with yourself or in an ongoing document. It will be useful to have this information to show a pattern of behavior or if you choose to file a legal claim later.
Check your employee handbook for an existing sex discrimination policy.
Ask someone you trust how current sex discrimination policies are being enforced.
Ask how managers and supervisors are being trained to respond to workplace gender discrimination and sexual harassment.
Talk to fellow employees about their experiences raising workplace discrimination issues in the past.
Report the harassment to your employer’s human resources department.
File a harassment claim with the EEOC.
Consult with an attorney.
The burden shouldn’t be on you to address or fix these problems in your workplace. Gender bias and discrimination are deeply enmeshed in our workplace cultures and part of systemic oppression.
However, how to approach what you want to do is your choice. And that’s powerful. How you choose to respond can depend on your financial security, your support resources, your interest or appetite for fighting to change something or doing what you need for yourself. There is no right answer—only what’s right for you.
Across thousands of conversations, we see the ups and downs of people navigating gender bias—from the joy of having an incredible ally, to the exhaustion of fighting uphill battles, to the power of taking an action that reflects someone’s values. Need a listening ear? Our trained peer counselors are here.
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“Everyone needs someone they can talk to in a moment.”
If you’re frustrated, hurt, or wondering what to do about experiencing gender discrimation, free, confidential support is just a text away: 510-674-1414.
*Note: Empower Work provides non-legal support for workplaces challenges. This information, while authoritative, is not legal advice or guaranteed for legality. Employment laws and regulations vary by state. We recommend consulting with state resources for specific interpretation and decisions. If you believe you were discriminated against in violation of the law, we recommend you seek legal advice.