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Women leaders face 30 types of bias in the workforce, research finds

Written by: Aimee Picchi
Published on: Jan 6, 2025

30 Types of Bias
Photo Credit: aklionka - stock.adobe.com

 

 

It's well-documented that women in the workplace often face biases when seeking leadership roles, but new research is uncovering just how pervasive and wide-ranging those prejudices can be.

In the working world, women leaders report experiencing 30 types of identity factors that discriminate on everything from their body size to marital status, according to new research from Wilson College chief information officer Amy Diehl, Westmont College dean Leanne Dzubinski and Clarkson University professor Amber Stephenson published in the peer-reviewed Human Resource Development Quarterly.

The findings stem from the trio's 2023 research into age discrimination. That work, published in the Harvard Business Review, found that women in the workplace face bias regardless of their age, with their superiors often viewing them as too inexperienced if they are young and too unworthy of promotion if they are older. The new study surveyed more than 900 women in leadership roles in four industries where women comprise a large share of the workforce — health care, higher education, law and faith-based nonprofits. 

"Surprised and shocked"

"The way we phrased the question was, 'Tell us about any other identity factors that are impacting your experience'" in the workforce, Diehl told CBS MoneyWatch. "We thought there would be age and race. We were surprised and shocked when we looked through the data and came up with 30."

It's telling that the factors focus on personal qualities like class, marital status and sexual orientation, rather than professional qualifications or skills, underscoring that these biases aren't relevant to whether a woman can perform in the workplace, the researchers said.

"There is always an excuse masquerading as a reason given for a women about why she's not quite right for any role," noted Dzubinski. 

The factors include: 

  • Accent
  • Age
  • Attractiveness
  • Body size
  • Class
  • Color
  • Communication style
  • Marital status
  • Pregnancy
  • Sexual orientation

Stumbling on the broken rung

While the new research focuses on women in their 40s and 50s who have already reached leadership roles, younger women are more likely to be held back by the so-called broken rung, or when women fail to get a promotion out of entry-level jobs at the same rate as men, research from consulting firm McKinsey and LeanIn, the nonprofit started by former Meta Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, has found.

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