How to Counter Sexism in the Workplace

Despite progress in society, only half of EU citizens believe gender equality has been achieved in the workplace. And while women are twice as likely as men to experience gender discrimination at work², sexism towards men often remains unacknowledged. Gender discrimination has been reported by 22% of men² and 42% of women in the workplace, rising to 75% for women in industries dominated by men³. Sexism in the workplace can be further exacerbated by discrimination against marginalized individuals, such as those who have a disability⁴, are cultural minorities⁵ or are part of the LGBTQ+ community^4,6.

How sexism harms individuals and organizations

Sophie’s and Alex’s stories are nuanced examples of sexism in the workplace. In both situations, the behavior of others on their team undermined Sophie and Alex’s actions when they deviated from traditional gender norms, while reinforcing behavior that conformed with these norms.
An emphasis on business results often overshadows concerns about personal wellbeing at work. From the outside, Sophie and Alex continued to fulfill their job responsibilities, with the team unaware of their worsening emotional states. However, as shown in both their cases, sexism can have a harmful impact on individuals.

For women like Sophie, being relegated to stereotypically feminine tasks undermines their competence and limits career progression^7,8. For men like Alex, the pressure to conform to traditional gender roles limits their ability to maintain a work-life balance and reduces their overall work satisfaction⁹. In the long run, these behaviors can lower employee morale, increase staff turnover¹⁰, perpetuate the gender pay gap¹¹ and reduce gender diversity in certain industries and roles¹². Recognizing and addressing these types of behaviors is vital to creating an inclusive workplace.

Why do sexist behaviors occur in the workplace?

Sexist behaviors have endured in our society because they are so deep-rooted: 90% of people have at least one bias that hinders gender equality13. For our brains to work as efficiently as possible, we create mental shortcuts to help make sense of the world around us. An example of this is gender bias, which is the stereotyping or association of specific qualities, behaviors or roles to individuals based on their gender. This bias stems from gendered messaging in our cultures, media, and languages. When gender biases are internalized and acted upon, they can lead to sexism.

Since sexist behaviors occur mostly unconsciously, it is crucial to actively recognize, acknowledge, and tackle them. One way of doing this in the workplace is to foster an environment where people can safely and freely point out instances of sexism without fear of judgment or punishment.

Deloitte’s perspective on psychological safety and sexism

Psychological safety refers to the shared belief that you will not be judged or punished for sharing your questions, mistakes, or concerns with a group¹⁷. In the workplace, it is key to building successful teams¹⁸ and it promotes employee engagement, wellbeing, and productivity and success in innovations and transformations.

As discussed in the previous section, sexism in the workplace poses a significant challenge as it usually stems from deeply ingrained unconscious biases. Fostering a culture of psychological safety in your organization will help to recognize and address instances of sexism. It is only when employees feel empowered to challenge the status quo and speak up about their experiences and wellbeing, that meaningful change can occur. Moreover, a psychologically safe environment inherently works to tackle systemic sexism in the workplace as it helps ensure diverse opinions and contributions are equally valued.

At Deloitte, we believe that organizations have a societal responsibility to cultivate psychologically safe work environments to foster an inclusive, equitable, and diverse workforce. However, this requires much more than a one-time intervention. That’s why we partner with you every step of the way, offering education, facilitating dialogue within your teams, and designing tailor-made and practical long-term initiatives aimed at establishing and fostering psychological safety.

Maintaining a psychologically safe environment

Establishing a psychologically safe environment in your workplace is an ongoing journey. Here are some of the steps you could to take:

Have regular check-ins: Meet with colleagues one-on-one regularly, and check in on their stress levels, well-being, and workload. Show that you care for them and are there to support them.

Be vulnerable and authentic: We are all human. As a team leader or member, try to be transparent and share your feelings, experiences, and mistakes with others. This helps humanize your team and shows there is no shame in seeking help or admitting to mistakes.

Make feedback a habit: Actively seek feedback from colleagues, offer a way to (anonymously) share feedback, and appoint a trusted point of contact employees can turn to as needed. These actions show your team that their experiences matter and their voices are heard.

These steps can work wonders in helping your team members to feel safe to speak up about sexism or gender discrimination they may face at work. If you are interested in further structured support, Deloitte can provide interventions and guidance to help assess and establish psychological safety in your organization.

Deloitte’s DEI Services

Deloitte’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) consulting services systematically help organizations access and engage a more diverse workforce. Drawing on our proven track record and published thought leadership, we take bold action alongside our clients to build inclusive leadership capabilities; foster a culture of belonging; and embed equity and inclusion across every business function. Informed by research and on-the-ground experience with the world’s leading organizations, our proprietary tools and methods provide differentiated DEI solutions, experiences, and insights for our clients.

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References

1. Special Eurobarometer 465: Gender Equality 2017 (European Union, 2017)
2. Sexism in the Workplace Statistics: Is the Pay Gap Narrowing in 2024? (TeamStage, 2014)
3. Sexism in the Workplace Statistics (GITNUX, 2023)
4. Women in the Workplace Study (Lean In, 2023)
5. Standpoints and Situatedness: Examining the Perception of Benevolent Sexism in Black and White Undergraduate Women and Men (Davis et al., 2022)
6. The Gay Glass Ceiling: Understanding the Discrimination at Work (World Economic Forum, 2018)
7. Insidious Dangers of Benevolent Sexism: Consequences for Women’s Performance (Dardenne et al., 2007)
8. A Confirmatory Study of the Relations Between Workplace Sexism, Sense of Belonging, Mental Health, and Job Satisfaction Among Women in Male Dominated Industries (Rubin et al., 2019)
9. Gender Discrimination in Workforce and its Impact on the Employees (Channar et al., 2011)
10. Perceived Gender Discrimination and Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Career Satisfaction (Elçi et al., 2021)
11. Not Minding the Gap: How Hostile Sexism Encourages Choice Explanations for the Gender Income Gap (Connor & Fiske, 2018)
12. Gender Inequalities in the Workplace: The Effects of Organizational Structures, Processes, Practices and Decision Makers’ Sexism (Starnaski & Son Hing, 2015)
13. 2023 Gender Social Norms Index (United Nations Development Programme, 2023)
14. Gender Bias Definition (American Psychological Association, n.d.)
15. Sexism Definition (American Psychological Association, n.d.)
16. Gender Discrimination Definition (American Psychological Association, n.d.)
17. What is Psychological Safety? (Harvard Business Review, 2023)
18. How Psychological Safety Affects Team Performance: Mediating Role of Efficacy and Learning Behavior (Kim et al., 2020)