By: Sophie Allen Mar 7/2025
The year is 2025, we’ve got cars that run on electricity, have powerful tiny computers that fit into our pockets, and AI at our fingertips, yet we still don’t have gender equality. When it comes to equality in the workplace, we have made some progress, however, much still needs to change for women to have the same benefits as their male counterparts. This International Women’s Day, rather than marking the occasion with a cute gif and a fluff piece highlighting the women who work at Snaptech, let’s have a real conversation about the biases women face in the workplace and talk to the women of Snaptech for their perspectives. The goal here is to educate and hopefully inspire whoever reads this to be aware of and actively work towards eliminating gender bias in their workplace.
Author’s Note: All contributions from Snaptech employees are their own and may not specifically refer to Snaptech in any criticisms provided. They remain unedited and appear as they were presented to me. As well, for the sake of simplicity and clarity, any gendered statements about women refer to anyone who identifies as a woman, regardless of how any current government chooses to define that. All statistics presented will link back to their sources.
Gender Bias in the Workplace
Though we’re no longer in the Mad Men-esque era where women face blatantly obvious sexual harassment in the workplace (though that’s not to say it doesn’t still happen), gender biases persist. These biases can be subtle, like asking women to be the note-takers in meetings, or more obvious, like having a male-dominated leadership and executive team.
As one woman at Snaptech said, “Treat women in the office like any other person on the team. Gender should not be a factor in how individuals are treated, the responsibilities they are assigned, or the opportunities available to them. However, it must be recognized that this can be difficult due to biases that are often unrecognized or overlooked. These biases can manifest in subtle ways, like interrupting women more often in meetings, not giving their ideas the same weight as those of male colleagues, or more frequently assigning additional non-work related duties. While these biases may be unintentional, it’s important for all of us to be aware of them and actively work towards a truly inclusive environment.”
Gender bias is so ingrained that when women speak up—say, about being handed extra tasks because they’re ‘so organized’—they’re often dismissed or made to feel like they’re imagining it. As a result, we have to smile and accept the task whether we have time for it or not, lest we be labelled as difficult. Our boundaries are continuously tested and pushed and often broken by ourselves because we feel we have to go above and beyond to prove ourselves for every raise and promotion that seems to fall rather easily into the laps of our male coworkers. Perhaps most exhausting of all is the expectation that women should document, explain, and educate their male colleagues about these biases in real time—as if the burden of fixing the problem should fall on those most affected by it, rather than those who created it.
Statistics on Gender Bias in the Workplace
To further illustrate the ongoing disparities, we’ve compiled statistics from recent reports out of the United States that highlight the bias women face in the workplace. These numbers provide a stark look at how gender inequality manifests in leadership, pay, hiring practices, and career growth.
We Are Tech Women reported that as of 2024, women accounted for only 37% of leadership roles in media and communications industries worldwide, despite making up 48% of the total workforce.
The 2024 Career & Salary Survey from Marketing Week revealed that female marketers are paid 16% less than their male counterparts, on average.
SHRM reported that of over 1,000 women surveyed by The Muse job board, 41% have felt discriminated against based on their gender during a job interview, while 42% reported gender-biased or inappropriate questions during a job interview.
According to the Women in the Workplace 2024 report by McKinsey, for every 100 men promoted to manager in 2024, 89 White women were promoted, 99 Asian women were promoted, 54 Black women were promoted, and 65 Latinas were promoted. This shows bias not just in gender but in ethnicity as well. The report goes on to say that “it would take 48 years for the representations of White women and women of color in senior leadership to reflect their share of the US population.”
These statistics show that gender bias in the workplace is not just a perception but a measurable reality. Women continue to face barriers at nearly every point in their careers. While there may be more awareness of these biases, we still need meaningful action to close the gaps.
Language Matters
Words matter when giving feedback, but the same words can carry very different meanings depending on the gender of the person being described. Describing a male employee as assertive is generally seen as a positive thing–implying leadership qualities, ability to close deals with clients, and someone you would trust to get things done if left in charge. On the other hand, an assertive woman would sooner be labelled as bossy, pushy, or demanding. This kind of unconscious bias was the focus of Textio’s Language Bias in Performance Feedback 2024 survey. This survey started with an initial study done in 2014, and looked at how much had changed or hadn’t changed, in the 10 years that followed.
According to Textio, women receive 22% more personality-based feedback than men, much of it reinforcing outdated gender stereotypes. Women were more likely to be called collaborative, helpful, and nice, while men were more likely to be called confident and ambitious. (Figures 4.2 and 1.3 below).
America Ferrera’s unforgettable monologue in Barbie captures the impossible double standards women navigate in the workplace:
“You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas…You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people…But always stand out and be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful.”
It’s exhausting, isn’t it?
A Case for More Women in Leadership Roles
Gender bias persists in the workplace, but research shows that women bring essential strengths to leadership—ones that create more balanced and effective teams. InPower Coaching states that women provide “exceptional communication skills, empathy, inclusiveness, efficient productivity, and a knack for building strong relationships.” They go on to claim that women’s ability “to excel in collaborative settings can lead to more democratic and inclusive team dynamics”. The result is more effective problem-solving and higher employee satisfaction and retention. Jacinda Ardern’s handling of Covid-19 in New Zealand is a prime example of leadership driven by empathy, communication, and decisiveness—qualities often associated with women leaders. Her approach is widely considered one of the most successful pandemic responses worldwide.
In a TED Talk called The Athena Doctrine, John Gerzema discusses a study that found that two-thirds of people surveyed globally think the world would be a better place if men thought more like women. Iceland, with its all-female coalition government and a female president, is poised to put this theory to the test in the coming years.
As one of the women of Snaptech put it, “We need women in leadership because it ultimately brings balance. Having a diverse team in leadership brings new perspectives, experiences, and sometimes a level of empathy you may not get from an all-male team. Women go through experiences a man will never face in the workplace, such as having their credibility questioned or not being taken seriously. Studies show that women-led businesses tend to perform even better financially, but aside from performance reasons, I feel that as little girls, we are told that CEOs and super-successful people are always men. I want to see more equality in the workplace, and I want to feel that on just a person-to-person level, I can be anything I want. I didn’t always feel that way growing up. It’s nice having a role model and someone not only to look up to but also to give us the inspiration to do anything we set our minds to. We are more than just our gender; we can achieve anything, and that is super powerful.”
Where Do We Go From Here?
This feels like the space where we start a rallying cry: What do we want? Equality! When do we want it? Preferably 100 years ago, but now is good. Awareness is the first step—but action is what drives real change. This International Women’s Day, don’t just acknowledge the problem—challenge it. Call out bias when you see it, amplify women’s voices, and advocate for equality in leadership. The workplace won’t change unless we push for it. These steps are the basics to set the stage for women to be offered an equal chance at promotions and paid fairly for their labour, both seen and unseen.
To quote another incredible woman at Snaptech, “Ideally, leadership would be more diverse, with a greater representation of female voices. Having more women in leadership positions would not only help ensure that different perspectives are more evenly represented, but also contribute to a more balanced and inclusive environment where all ideas—regardless of gender—are given equal consideration and value.”
A great exercise recently circulating on the internet pointed out that men are more likely to say no to ideas presented by women and challenged men to pause and consider “am I rejecting this idea because it is bad or because a woman has it?”. Participants in this exercise were surprised to find that, despite considering themselves allies for women, their automatic response was to reject the idea based on an unconscious gender bias. Your challenge: Try this exercise. The next time you hear an idea from a woman, pause. Ask yourself—am I dismissing this idea because it’s weak or because of unconscious bias? You might be surprised by the answer. Til then we remain the obstinate, headstrong women of Snaptech.
Want to work with kick-ass women in marketing? The women of Snaptech work in Media Planning, Paid Search, SEO, Content Marketing, and Web Development. Contact us today to see what we can bring to your business.
About the Author
Sophie Allen