In the office setting, feedback often mirrors gender stereotyping: Study

A survey by Textio reveals significant differences in the language used to evaluate the performance of men and women

By AFPRelaxnews

Published: Jan 30, 2025 11:24:23 AM IST

Updated: Jan 30, 2025 11:33:27 AM IST

At work, women are often described as “aggressive” and “difficult.” Image: Shutterstock

Weekly reviews, individual interviews, quarterly appraisals, annual appraisals... Feedback in the workplace is on the rise—which in theory represents an excellent initiative. Feedback can provide an opportunity to highlight employees' good practices, identify problems and propose solutions. In practice, however, such discourse is still all too often tainted by language full of stereotypes aimed at certain categories of employees.

A survey by Textio reveals significant differences in the language used to evaluate the performance of men and women. While feedback generally focuses on the quality of both genders' work, women are far more often judged on their personality. For example, 78% of female employees surveyed were described as “emotional” in their manager's feedback, compared with only 11% of men. What's more, 56% of women have been described as “unlikable,” a criticism levelled at just 16% of men.

In the workplace, women are often described as both “abrasive” and “difficult,” but also as “collaborative,” “helpful” and “nice.” In comparison, men are mostly perceived as "confident" (54%) and "ambitious" (63%). Overall, women receive 22% more comments on their personality than their male colleagues. The latter receive feedback valuing their intelligence in 67% of cases, compared to just 32% for women. “Women receive harsher feedback, more personality feedback, and less constructive or actionable feedback than their male counterparts,” says Textio's study.

Gender bias is unfortunately intertwined with racial discrimination. For example, Black and Hispanic women are far more often described as “emotional” than their white counterparts. As a result, they suffer a kind of double discrimination, mixing racism and sexism, in the feedback they receive from their superiors.

Also read: AI may reproduce gender, ethnicity biases in mental health tools

Minimizing subjectivity in assessments

The choice of words in managerial appraisals is of the utmost importance, and the effect of the specific words used should not be underestimated. The terms used by managers to describe their team members influence not only these employees' professional development, but also strategic decisions such as promotion opportunities or pay raises. These terms can also erode self-confidence. Women, in particular, are seven times more likely to internalize negative stereotypes conveyed by feedback from their supervisor, while men are more likely to internalize positive feedback they hear about themselves.

This phenomenon is even more harmful as many women suffer from impostor syndrome. This concept was theorized in 1978 by American psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. Although not classified as an illness, impostor syndrome nevertheless generates persistent emotional distress, marked by anxiety, shame and guilt. For fear of being "unmasked" by their colleagues, sufferers often isolate themselves and plunge headlong into their work, sometimes to the point of exhaustion or burnout.

Employers need to rethink their appraisal methods to reduce subjectivity. As Textio points out, “feedback that is rich in stereotype rather than actionable examples creates a double whammy. It tanks both employee performance and employee retention.” Correcting these biases is not just an ethical concern, but a necessity for fostering a working environment in which everyone can achieve their full potential. It's time to take action, and solutions exist. It remains to be seen whether companies will have the will to apply them.