Women’s Progression in the Workplace Summary

A Summary of the Barriers Women Face in the Workplace

Reviewing 175 studies between 2000–2018, the 2019 rapid evidence review reveals that the gender disparity in career progression is largely due to limited opportunities shaped by organisational biases and the conflict between work obligations and personal commitments. 

Context

In 2024, British women were found to be more educated than men and more likely to be hired. Despite this, male graduates earn approximately 9% more than their female counterparts just one year after graduation. This earnings gap expands significantly over ten years after graduation, reaching over 31%. Given the persistence of the gender pay gap, this research remains highly relevant in its investigation of why women progress less than men in the workplace. 

So, what is driving this “sticky floor” effect for women and “springboard” effect for men? This research claims that it is largely attributed to the structural barriers and biases that consequently limit women’s early career mobility and access to valuable opportunities. 

The Identified Barriers Women Encounter in the Workplace

Organisational Processes and Their Lack of Clear Standards:  

• Many workplaces lack transparent criteria for pay and promotion, making it difficult for employees to understand how to progress or recognise when they are undervalued. In the absence of clear standards, biased decision-making processes become more prevalent. As decision-makers tend to rely on subjective judgements rather than objective indicators based on past performance for pay and promotion decisions. 

Promotion via Networks and Social Cloning: 

• Networks significantly influence work assignments and promotions. Networks are usually male dominated, especially at higher levels, making networking events less accessible to women, often occurring outside of regular hours. 

• Individuals in power often favour those who resemble themselves or past candidates, disadvantaging women who may not fit the archetypal candidate profile. 

• Employees often depend on a patron or sponsor to advance, a requirement that men are more likely to fulfil. 

Conflicts Between Workplace and Caregiving Responsibilities: 

• Persistent norms of overwork, expectations of constant availability, and excessive workloads often clash with unpaid caring responsibilities, the majority of which still fall on women. Long working hours limit the ability to balance work with other responsibilities. 

Inequity in Alternative Working Arrangements: 

• Due to the lack of value placed on flexible or part-time workers, employers devalue these workers’ commitment to the organisation which consequently hinders opportunities for career mobility. 

• While these working options enable women to remain in the workforce after motherhood, these options limit career progression and wage growth. 

Further reinforcing the conclusions of the 2019 paper, CIPD's 2023 research report titled; ‘Let’s Break the Mould, Let’s Shake the World: Why Women Cannot Advance in Professional Roles in Finance’, not only aligns with the Rapid Evidence Review’s findings but also focuses on how women's career advancement is impeded, particularly within male dominated sectors such as the financial industry. 

Further Challenges That Emerge from Male Dominated Sectors

Perceptions of Inferiority: 

• Given that clients typically envision a capable investor as a man in a suit, women are seen as inferior for falling outside the perceived norm. 

• Many employers hold the assumption that women of childbearing age will be less available, and therefore less valuable and committed. This creates early career prejudice that limits opportunities for development— disregarding whether the woman even plans to have a family or not. 

The ‘Boys’ Club’: 

• The presence of a ‘boys’ club’ was identified as a major obstacle to career advancement in male-dominated sectors, granting men easier access to key positions.  

• By creating exclusive networks and informal alliances that favour men, there is a promotion of proximity and familiarity biases, where decision-makers, often male, gravitate toward those who share similar backgrounds, interests, or experiences. As a result, men benefit from informal mentorship, insider knowledge, and networking opportunities that fast-track their progression, while women are frequently excluded from these influential circles, limiting their visibility and chances for promotion. 

• Women avoid discussing their family and suppress their femininity to boost prestige and perception of capability in the workplace, especially in male-dominated industries. 

Caregiving Challenges: 

• With women often facing difficulties in taking leave for motherhood, caregiving responsibilities are seen as the most significant barrier to retaining female managers in the financial sector, with women often facing difficulties in taking leave for motherhood. 

• Society frequently labels women as unfit mothers if they were to prioritise their career. This is due to the societal expectation that women ought to be primary caregivers. 

• As male-dominated sectors tend to overlook women’s personal well-being, there is increasing pressure to outsource family responsibilities to increase workplace availability. 

• Despite evidence that presenteeism doesn’t indicate superior performance and the rise of remote work, organisations still undervalue women due to outdated biases.  

Despite These Barriers, There Are Steps Organisations Can Take to Address and Mitigate the Challenges Women Face with Career Progression: 

Increase Transparency and Formalisation: Implementing transparent and formal processes, combined with senior oversight, has proven successful in reducing gender bias. 

Standardised Promotion Processes: Changes that standardise and clarify promotion processes—such as formal career planning, clear salary standards, and defined job ladders—are linked to improved career outcomes for women. 

Process Adherence: Ensuring that established processes are consistently followed is crucial, which includes: 

• Training line managers in the implementation of these processes. 

• Granting senior figures oversight of pay and promotion decisions, empowering them to challenge any biases. 

• Using objective criteria for promotion decisions, such as evaluating candidates in pairs or groups to focus on important factors like performance data and minimise instinctive judgment. 

Destigmatizing Part-Time and Flexible Work: 

• Communicate that work-life balance policies are for everyone, not just parents. 

• Demonstrate ongoing top-down commitment to supporting part-time and flexible workers. 

• Encourage senior role models to share their experiences of balancing work and family life or working part-time. 

Supportive line managers: 

• Training line managers to effectively support flexible and part-time workers is crucial. 

• Develop case studies showcasing successful line management of part-time employees. 

• Provide training for part-time or flexible staff to help them manage their workloads, enabling them to train their own managers in the process. 

Increasing career progression opportunities will bridge the gender pay gap and address historical inequalities in the workforce. This contributes to a fairer society where professional success is determined by talent, not gender. Women in leadership roles can inspire future generations; breaking down stereotypes and providing visible role models for women’s success at all levels. This representation helps young women pursue ambitious career goals without feeling limited by outdated norms. Tackling these issues can help create a future where jobs are no longer viewed through a gendered lens, so when a young girl says she wants to be a computer scientist, no one questions it.