Women in management, and especially those who work as female employees, are twice as likely as their male counterparts to view their gender as an obstacle to success.
In a survey conducted by the HR software company Ciphr of more than 2,600 UK employees, one in seven (7%) female managers said that they felt their gender made it difficult for them to be successful at work. Comparatively, only one in fourteen (7%) male managers felt the same.
The research released in advance of International Women’s Day this year highlights the fact that gender biases and barriers, both real and perceived, are still prevalent across many industries.
Ciphr research shows that female senior managers and leaders are most likely to experience gender bias. A third of women in senior management or leadership positions (32%) have experienced discrimination at work, or were treated less favourably during recruitment due to their gender. One in six (16%) respondents believe their gender has hindered them from achieving career success.
It is shocking to see how common gender discrimination is, even among middle and junior managers. One in four female managers (23%) have experienced gender discrimination during their career, compared with one in seven male managers (14%) surveyed.
Not only managers are affected. One-nineth (11%) of female employees who are not in management roles reported gender discrimination in the workplace or during job searches, compared with 6.2% male employees.
Women are more affected than men by gender barriers such as discrimination in the workplace or bias when hiring, and lower wages (the UK gender pay gap is currently 13.1% to men’s advantage). Data shows that only 3.2% of men in non-management positions and 7% of managers believe their gender has hindered or hampered them at work. This doubles for women who are in these positions.
Self-employment does not seem to eliminate the problems associated with gender discrimination. It could even make some barriers worse. One in five women self-employed (18%), compared with a mere 0.9% of men self-employed, feel that their gender has made it more difficult to succeed in their work.
Chart showing the percentage of UK workers who believe that their gender has hindered them in their career:
| Women in these roles feel their gender makes it harder for them to succeed at work | Men in these roles are more likely to feel their gender is a barrier to success at work. | |
| Senior management and leaders | 16% | 9.4% |
| Middle management | 12% | 4.8% |
| Junior Management | 15% | 5% |
| Management Roles (All Levels) | 14% | 7% |
| Non-management roles | 7.7% | 3.2% |
| Self-employed | 18% | 0.9% |
Women who work in industries where men are the majority, particularly at the top (meaning that there are more men than women in senior positions), are most likely to complain about gender inequality and discrimination.
Women in law are four times as likely to report that they have faced gender barriers in their career than their male counterparts. (42% vs 10%).
The story is similar for those in the energy and utilities industry. In this industry, 33% of female managers feel that being a woman has made their career more difficult. This compares to only 11% of men managers. Transport and logistics (21 % vs. 3.1%), Property and Construction (20%, vs. 5%), Business, Consulting and Management (20%, vs. 10%), Engineering and Manufacturing (16 % vs. 1.4%), as well as property and construction (20%, vs. 5%), are also affected.
The percentage of women and men who responded that they felt their gender made it more difficult to be successful at work:
- Women managers: 42% vs. 10%
- 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%
- Business, consulting, and management: 20 vs. 10%
- Accounting, banking and finance: 14.9% vs. 4.9%
- Public Services and Administration: 12% vs. 4.3%
- Hospitality and Events Management: 19% vs. 11%
- Information technology: 16 % vs 11 %
- Healthcare: 9.2% vs 5.4%
- Creative arts and Design: 30% vs. 27%
- Teaching and education: 6.2% as compared to 5.6%
- Sales: 5.6% vs 5%
- Charitable and voluntary work: 5,3% vs. 11%
Claire Williams, Chief People and Operations Officer at Ciphr comments on the results: “While we didn’t capture directly the reasons for which many female managers may feel that their gender makes it harder for them succeed, there are a number of existing research and experiences that can shed some light on these findings.
Stereotypes and gender discrimination (both overt and unconscious) are still realities that many women have to deal with. This can directly impact women’s abilities to progress and succeed. It can also have a secondary effect on women’s confidence at work, as the fear of being viewed negatively by others (the “likeability penalty”) can impact how they are perceived in terms of their authority and competence.
In male-dominated industries, women managers may find it difficult to find mentors and sponsors. This lack of female leadership can reinforce the idea that women have fewer opportunities for success and advancement, even though this is not the case. It’s important that organisations with long-standing hierarchical systems and traditionally male-dominated clients, like the law or real estate, take action to improve diversity.
Research consistently shows that women are judged harsher for their mistakes, and they’re often held to higher standard to “prove” their competence. This is especially true in technical fields. Women can face microaggressions, or overt sexism. This creates the feeling that they need to work harder in order to be taken seriously. This can lead to a “performance tax” where female managers feel they have to be overly prepared, over-perform and self-censor in order to avoid reinforcing stereotypes.
It’s important to note that, in certain sectors like energy, transportation, and construction, where men have historically held technical, engineering and operational roles, women managers may still be navigating cultures not designed for them. Even the creative industries, despite being regarded as progressive, are heavily reliant on informal hiring and promotions based on personal connections and “cultural fit”, which can be disadvantageous to women, particularly those who have caregiving responsibilities.
All these factors contribute towards the perception that women managers in these industries must work harder or overcome more hurdles than their male counterparts.
Ann Allcock is the head of diversity at Ciphr. She says: “It’s no surprise that women struggle to find a job, let alone succeed, in workplace cultures that are dominated by gender-based discrimination or harassment.
“Traits and behaviors typically associated with males continue to be recognized and rewarded more than ‘female characteristics’. Women are generally held to higher standards of performance than men, especially as they advance.
Men may overestimate themselves and their performance, while women may understate both. The ‘confidence deficit’ can be perceived as a weakness on the part women when referred to. The fault lies with biased processes that fail to objectively assess and reward performance, as well as to recognize the value of various skills and approaches.
“While men and women are increasingly requesting flexible working policies and choices, due to the stereotypes in society about caring responsibilities, women still take on or return to part time roles to balance work and family, often at a cost to their careers. Women can face challenges due to the general issue of overwork and long-hours cultures.
Ciphr (via OnePoll), commissioned an online survey of 4,000 UK adult between August 2024 and November 2024. Nearly two thirds (61%) or 2,418 respondents are employed full-time or part-time, while 5% (203) are selfemployed. More than half (1 423) of the employees surveyed work in management or leadership roles.
Ciphr’s Workplace Discrimination in the UK study is available at https://www.ciphr.com/infographics/workplace-discrimination-statistics#gender-bias.
Ciphr, the leading provider of HR and payroll solutions and software in the UK for large and medium-sized organisations. The integrated software, services, and content of its HR, payroll and benefits, learning, and recruitment solutions provide HR teams with valuable insights that help them to develop and grow their organisation. Ciphr, based in Reading is on a quest to amplify the voice and value HR by providing intelligent solutions for people data. This will help HR be heard in the boardroom as well as across the organisation.
Visit www.ciphr.com for more information.
The original version of this article, A survey found that one in seven female managers believe their gender makes it harder for them to succeed at work, first appeared on HR News.
