You may know that International Women's Day is coming up on March 8, but did you know that IWD has been celebrated annually around the globe for more than 100 years?  

The earliest reported Women's Day observance, called "National Woman's Day," was organized by the Socialist Party of America in 1909 in New York City. The next year, a group of German delegates proposed establishing an international Women’s Day as part of a larger strategy to promote equal rights, including women’s suffrage. The idea took off in 1911, when more than a million people took to the streets with demonstrations across Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland to mark the very first International Women’s Day.  

Today, people across the world come together on March 8 to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of those who identify as women, and to help forge a gender-equal future.  

Despite the progress women have made in the workplace over the last century, bias continues to hold women AND businesses back, so this International Women’s Day, we’re joining the effort to #BreakTheBias at work, and hope you’ll do the same. 

GENDER BIAS IN THE WORKPLACE: THE DATA

Gender bias permeates through the workplace – sometimes it’s as blatant as a male-dominated leadership team; other times it’s hidden within personal experiences. And while bias comes in many forms, common examples of gender bias showing up at work include:  

Unequal Pay

‍According to a Pew Research Center report, the gender gap in pay has remained relatively constant over the past 15 years, with women typically earning 84% of what their male counterparts earn.  

Discrimination

‍About four-in-ten working women (42%) in the United States have faced discrimination on the job because of their gender. And while all women are more likely than men to face microaggressions that undermine them professionally – such as being interrupted and having their judgement questioned – women of color and women with marginalized identities, including trans and non-binary women, experience these microaggressions at a higher rate.  

Sexual Harassment

‍35% of women in corporate America experience sexual harassment at some point during their careers. For some women, the experience is far more common – 55% of women in senior leadership, 48% of lesbian women, and 45% of women in technical fields report that they’ve been sexually harassed. ‍

Leadership

‍While the volume of women executives in the U.S. is growing, just 8.1% of Fortune 500 CEOs in 2021 were women. Additionally, for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 85 women were promoted—and this gap was even larger for women of color: only 58 Black women and 71 Latinas were promoted. 

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF GENDER BIAS at work

The data provides proof that gender bias exists, but it doesn’t reveal the impact that it has on women throughout their careers. We asked our team to share stories of gender bias they’ve experienced or witnessed in the workplace throughout their careers, and without fail, the memories came pouring in. Some of the stories dated back 10+ years, signifying the lasting impact they’ve made.  

YOUR ASSERTIVENESS IS TOO MASCULINE

"Early on in my career, I had a FEMALE leader tell me that I should find female mentors to help me form and cultivate more feminine energy. Apparently, my assertiveness was too masculine.  Sadly, I didn’t do or say anything about it. Instead, I internalized it and faulted myself for showing up poorly as a female in the workplace.

"Today, I would most certainly push back on the idea of feminine and masculine cast typing, ask more questions and force a deeper conversation around the unrealistic and inconsistent expectations we set for women. We’d never tell a man he needed to find more feminine energy."

MY IDEAS WERE OFTEN SHOT DOWN

"It wasn’t until my last position before leaving Corporate America that I experienced racial and gender bias, making me realize that there is no separation between being Black and being a woman. My first long-term project resulted in completing administrative tasks and helping my counterpart, a White male, be successful. While he was supportive, our primarily male leadership team was not.

"They placed their energy on giving him authority, projects and client visibility to ensure that he remained successful. While I – with a recent Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and more than four years’ experience working with Fortune 500 companies – was serving as an administrative assistant. My ideas were often shot down because I was “the new consultant.”

"During our time on this project, my counterpart was promoted twice, reaching the manager level. I advocated for myself, raising these challenges to the highest leadership on my core team, and eventually, I transferred to a project that I was very successful with. However, it’s unfortunate that it took a challenging, painstaking year of overcompensating to reach that point."

Don't Waste Your Time. Nothing Is Going to Change.

"I was attending a leadership summit with my female manager. A women’s leadership panel was on the agenda for the next day. When I asked my manager if she planned on going, she replied, “Don’t waste your time, it doesn’t matter, nothing is going to change and don’t try to be a hero... keep your head down and that’s how it goes.”

"I went to the panel anyway with a maniacal focus on participating to spark some sort of change to advance women in our male-dominated company. I recounted for the group the experience with my manager just the night before and challenged my female colleagues to pledge we commit to stopping the brainwashing of our foremothers."

THEY PROMOTED HIM JUST TO KEEP HIM AHEAD OF ME

"When at a different agency, I earned a promotion to a level equal to a male colleague. We were set up as the two agency leaders under the founder. During my review to share the news of my promotion, the male founder informed me that my male counterpart would also receive a title bump “in recognition of his tenure.”

"They invented a higher title simply to keep my colleague ahead of me and did nothing to change his actual role or responsibilities. I remember telling them how unfair it was. In my short time with the agency, I had made an incredible difference that was worthy of the recognition without taking it away from me in the same breath. I was furious. I argued and expressed my dissatisfaction loudly – within six months I received the matching title again."

I WAS REFERRED TO AS THE GROUP'S EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

"I was promoted to a leadership position alongside all white, male counterparts. We had worked together for a few years and established a cooperative rapport. However, once I was promoted to work closer with them, that shifted. I began to be the one they asked to take minutes, pick up coffee before every huddle and manage our schedules. Once a male prospect referred to me as the group’s executive assistant and all but one team member brushed past it.

"After this meeting, I took my concerns to my boss and thankfully, he was in my corner. It took years to help that group understand that, while I was the youngest and only woman, I was a valuable leader and decision maker. Looking back, I would have stood in my power to verbalize my concerns in the moment! Waiting did me no good and opened the door for them to feel that I was okay with the arrangement."

TAKING ACTION AGAINST GENDER BIAS

Spreading awareness that gender bias is alive and well within the workplace is an important first step, but breaking bias requires action. Here are some commitments you can make on a daily basis to support women’s equality:

• Check your own gender biases. You may have biases that you’re completely unaware of. Do some research to understand your beliefs and attitudes about gender. Go the extra mile with one of Harvard’s Implicit Association Tests.  
• Call out gender discrimination, microaggressions and inequities when you witness them. And while it’s difficult, try to assume positive intent, as gender stereotyping is often unconscious. Provide the education or ask questions to help the offender recognize the bias and ultimately change their behavior.  
• Celebrate women’s achievements. Publicly celebrating and acknowledging the successes of women has played a tremendous role in increasing representation of women in leadership roles, correcting the gender pay gap, and advancing women’s equality.  
• Use gender-neutral language. Don’t know where to start? Download this DEI Guide to Inclusive Communications. Using inclusive language is a great way to show, not just tell, your organizational values. This guide provides tips and best practices to aid you in your journey to communicating more inclusively. ‍
• Model breaking the bias. Research shows that gender norms and biases begin forming in children between the ages of three and seven. Break the cycle by providing your kids with books and media that demonstrate non-traditional gender roles.

If you’re looking for ways to support International Women's Day on a larger level, consider championing an IWD campaign within your organization. The IWD resource hub provides ideas, focus and direction for continued year-long activity.

Let's celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness against bias and take action for equality. For more bite-sized brilliance, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, the Inkwell, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest!