Although traditionally viewed as a male-dominated field, HR women report high levels discrimination. This includes being talked over by their male colleagues, being scrutinized based on appearance, and being pressured to downplay their femininity.
Superdrug Online Doctor conducted a survey based on the responses of more than 2,000 women. The survey ranked the UK’s most and least-sexist industries by 2025. It also noted the extent of bias against women as well as workplace challenges faced across various sectors.
IT and Telecoms topped the list of industries with the most sexist workplaces. Nearly half the HR respondents cited insufficient workplace support for their wellbeing and health.
The report ranks industries according to women’s experiences with being patronised, treated unfairly or held back from their career due to gender bias and female health needs. In HR, the largest proportion of respondents (86%) said that they were spoken over by male colleagues. Also, 78 per cent reported that they were patronised by male colleagues, while the same percentage said that they had been fired by one.
Concerns about gender bias in HR
Women in HR also report high levels of scrutiny based on appearance, with 44 per cent feeling that their appearance is judged more harshly than male colleagues. Over half (52%) said that they felt pressured to minimize their femininity in the workplace to be taken seriously. Nearly one-quarter (22%) of women said they were advised to avoid or delay pregnancy or fertility treatment to protect their career advancement. 8 percent stated that this advice was given directly by a manager.
A third of HR women (31%) felt that a lack in leadership opportunities hindered them from advancing their careers. One third of women in HR said that they have seen or experienced women who were passed over for promotion after pregnancy or maternity leaves. A quarter of women admitted to concealing or downplaying their pregnancy in the workplace due to fear that they would be perceived as being less competent or professional.
In addition to this finding, 48 percent said that they didn’t feel comfortable reporting discrimination in the workplace while 44 percent experienced microaggressions based on gender or race. Nearly half (47%) of HR respondents said that their workplace didn’t provide enough support to women facing health challenges.
Commentary and findings from the wider industry
IT and Telecoms ranked as the UK’s most sexist sector across all industries. This field has the highest level of scrutiny based on appearance (57%), pressures to perform well due to gender (55%), and a need for women to minimize femininity (63%). Over half of women (53%) reported having experienced microaggressions. One in five (20%) believed that gender bias negatively affected their career advancement.
Architecture, Engineering and Building ranked third, with 68 per cent of women reporting feeling patronised and 66 per cent experiencing scrutiny based on appearance. 59 percent of women in this sector said that they felt the pressure to hide their femininity. 39 percent of them reported a lack workplace support for women’s health.
The report found that education, retail and catering, healthcare, and leisure were the sectors with the least gender bias, as well as stronger support for women.
Simple solutions for a challenging challenge
Life coach Mikaela jackson commented on the findings. She told HR Review, “We expect that women are independent, providers, caregivers, career-driven leaders and head of operations at their home. They also have to have a side hustle.” It’s exhausting to try and do everything above. “Women’s career struggles are often tied to the larger picture of managing life priorities.”
Jackson stressed the importance of creating safe spaces, flexible work arrangements, transparency in pay, and internal mentoring opportunities for women who are navigating multiple transitions.
“The problems women face are nuanced, and they may go deep. But the solutions do not need to be complex. The solutions must be thoughtful, compassionate, realistic and empower women. Everyone benefits when this happens.
