Gender bias still holding back female managers

Female managers are twice as likely as their male counterparts to feel their gender has hampered their career progression, according to a new workplace discrimination survey by HR software provider Ciphr.

The survey, which gathered responses from 2,621 UK workers, revealed that one in seven (14%) female managers believe their gender has made it harder for them to succeed professionally, compared to just 7% of male managers reporting similar experiences.

Senior women face greatest challenges

The research highlights that gender bias becomes more pronounced at higher levels of management. Nearly a third (32%) of women in leadership or senior management positions reported experiencing discrimination or unfavourable treatment during recruitment because of their gender, with 16% stating their gender has made achieving career success more difficult.

Even at middle and junior management levels, the disparity remains significant. Nearly one in four (23%) female managers have faced gender discrimination in their careers, compared to 14% of male managers.

Male-dominated industries show highest gender barriers

The survey identified particularly stark differences in traditionally male-dominated sectors:

Law: 42% of female managers vs 10% of male managers feel gender has hindered success

• Energy and utilities: 33% vs 11%
• Transport and logistics: 21% vs 3.1%
• Property and construction: 20% vs 5%
• Retail: 17% vs 2.4%
• Engineering and manufacturing: 16% vs 1.4%     

Self-employment offers no escape

Perhaps most revealing is that self-employment appears to intensify rather than alleviate gender-based barriers. An alarming 18% of self-employed women felt their gender had impeded their professional success, compared to just 0.9% of self-employed men.

Claire Williams, Chief People and Operations Officer at Ciphr, commented: "While our survey didn’t directly capture the reasons why many female managers might feel their gender has made it harder for them to succeed, there’s a lot of existing research and experience that can shed light on these results."

She added: "Stereotypes and gender bias (both unconscious and overt) are still a reality that many women must contend with. This can have a direct impact on women’s ability to succeed and progress. Also, often, it can have a secondary impact on their confidence in the workplace, where fear of having their behaviours viewed negatively (the ’likeability penalty’) can affect how their competence and authority are perceived."

The ’performance tax’ on women

Ann Allcock, Ciphr’s Head of Diversity, highlighted the additional burdens many women face: "Women may face microaggressions or even overt sexism, which creates a sense that they must work harder to be taken seriously. This can also lead to a ’performance tax’, where female managers feel the need to over-prepare, over-perform, and self-censor to avoid reinforcing negative stereotypes."

The findings come as the UK’s gender pay gap stands at 13.1% in favour of men, reinforcing the economic impact of these workplace disparities.

Allcock also noted the structural challenges affecting women’s career progression: "While both men and women may increasingly request and benefit from flexible working policies and options, because of society’s stereotypes around caring responsibilities, it is still predominantly women who take up or return to part-time roles to combine work and family – often at a high professional cost."

The research underscores the need for organisations to take more decisive action to address gender bias and improve cultural diversity, particularly in sectors with long-standing hierarchical structures that may unintentionally perpetuate gender disparities.

Reward and HR professionals are encouraged to review their organisation’s policies, promotion processes, and workplace culture to identify and address potential gender biases that may be limiting female talent from reaching their full potential.