Gender workplace equality: Build a fair and successful team

Published Tuesday 4 November 2025

Table of contents

• An everyday problem
• Know your legal obligations
• Don't waste your resources
• Create an action plan for gender equality
• Offer equal pay for equal work
• Challenge your own beliefs
• Encourage the use of mentors
• Know your role models
• Ability is not defined by gender
• Measure and track your progress
• Building sustainable workplace equality
• FAQs on gender workplace equality

Key takeaways

• Implement structured pay audits and transparent compensation scales to identify and eliminate gender pay gaps, ensuring equal pay for equal work across all roles regardless of gender.

• Challenge unconscious bias by using standardised interview processes, diverse hiring panels, and merit-based evaluation criteria that focus on skills and performance rather than gender assumptions.

• Create a comprehensive action plan that includes reviewing hiring processes, offering flexible working options, setting specific goals for female representation in leadership roles, and regularly communicating your commitment to equality.

• Track measurable progress indicators such as promotion rates by gender, representation in senior roles, and employee feedback to demonstrate ongoing commitment and identify areas for improvement.

An everyday problem

Workplace gender inequality occurs when employees face different opportunities or treatment based on their gender rather than their abilities. This creates measurable business problems.

Gender bias affects career choices and progression for both men and women. Women particularly face salary gaps and limited advancement opportunities due to outdated assumptions about gender roles.

When you make hiring or promotion decisions based on gender stereotypes, you miss out on the best talent for each role.

As an employer, you can challenge gender stereotypes and prejudice. This benefits your business and helps you meet legal requirements.

This guide covers ways you can improve gender equality in your workplace and the benefits for your business.

Know your legal obligations

UK equality law requires employers to provide equal treatment regardless of gender under the Equality Act 2010. You must ensure fair recruitment, equal pay, and protection from discrimination and harassment.

Key legal obligations include:

• Equal pay: Same pay for equal work or work of equal value
• Fair recruitment: Gender-neutral job descriptions and selection criteria
• Harassment protection: Safe workplace free from gender-based harassment
• Reasonable adjustments: Support for pregnancy, maternity, and family responsibilities

Meeting these requirements helps you avoid legal risks and protect your business reputation.

Don't waste your resources

Businesses can't afford to waste resources – including human resources. Any assumptions you make about your employees mean you're potentially missing out.

For example, let's say you assume that one employee is better suited to a particular role than another, because of their gender. By challenging assumptions, you can strengthen your business’s competitive edge. When you're considering candidates for a role, make sure you:

• never assume one person is better than another based on their gender
• always evaluate, interview and observe each candidate
• only make your decisions based on facts

Create an action plan for gender equality

Create a simple action plan so everyone understands your goals and how to achieve them.

Your plan should include practical steps, such as:

• reviewing your hiring process to remove bias
• creating clear and transparent pay structures
• offering flexible working options to support all employees
• setting goals for female representation in leadership roles, such as the Financial Conduct Authority's goal for gender parity of 50% in its senior leadership team by 2025
• communicating your commitment to equality to the whole team

Offer equal pay for equal work

Equal pay for equal work means paying employees the same amount when they perform the same job or work of equal value, regardless of gender.

How to ensure equal pay:

• Conduct pay audits: Review salaries across similar roles to identify gaps
• Use structured pay scales: Base compensation on role, experience, and performance
• Document pay decisions: Keep clear records of how you determine salaries
• Regular reviews: Check for emerging pay gaps as your business grows

If your business has 250 or more employees, you must report your gender pay gap data each year. Smaller businesses also benefit from monitoring pay gaps.

Check for pay gaps in all roles, including those often seen as 'male' jobs, and offer equal pay for equal work.

Challenge your own beliefs

Unconscious bias influences your decisions about employees without you realising it. These automatic assumptions can affect hiring, promotions, and daily workplace interactions.

Steps to identify your bias:

• Question first impressions: Ask why you think someone is or isn't suitable for a role
• Use structured interviews: Ask the same questions to all candidates
• Involve others: Include different perspectives in hiring and promotion decisions
• Track patterns: Notice if certain groups consistently miss out on opportunities

Common workplace biases to watch for:

• Assuming technical roles suit men better
• Expecting women to handle administrative tasks
• Judging leadership potential based on communication style

Encourage the use of mentors

Mentoring helps junior employees build confidence, especially when moving into roles where their gender is underrepresented.

Identify team members who can coach, guide and support women. Mentors offer encouragement, empathy and advice to help employees grow.

Encourage women to find mentors outside your business. Reach out to industry associations, chambers of commerce and business support agencies for advice and contacts.

Know your role models

Statistics show fewer women work at board level than men. For example, at the Financial Conduct Authority, 40% of the board were women as of March 2025.

In technology, a traditionally male-dominated industry, women have reached top roles. The 2019 Forbes list of powerful women in tech included CEOs of IBM, YouTube and Oracle, as well as senior leaders at Microsoft, Facebook and SpaceX.

Ability is not defined by gender

Merit-based decisions focus on skills, experience, and performance rather than gender assumptions. This approach helps you find the best talent while ensuring fairness.

Fair hiring practices:

• Write inclusive job descriptions: Use gender-neutral language and focus on essential skills
• Standardise interviews: Use the same questions and evaluation criteria for all candidates
• Diverse interview panels: Include different perspectives in the selection process
• Skills-based assessment: Test actual job-related abilities rather than making assumptions

Promotion decisions should consider:

• Performance metrics: Measurable results and achievements
• Skill development: Training completed and new capabilities gained
• Leadership potential: Demonstrated through actions, not assumptions about gender

This approach reduces bias while helping you identify the strongest candidates for each role.

Measure and track your progress

Track your progress to see what works and where you can improve. This shows your team you are committed to change.

You can measure progress by looking at:

• the gender pay gap in your business
• promotion rates for men and women
• representation of women in senior roles, tracking changes over time, such as the Financial Conduct Authority, which saw female representation in its senior leadership team increase from 39% to 49.1%
• feedback from employee surveys on workplace culture

Building sustainable workplace equality

Creating a truly equal workplace is an ongoing journey, not a one-time fix. By consistently applying these practices, you build a fairer, more creative, and ultimately more successful business. Clear financial data helps you make informed decisions about hiring, pay and resources. Discover how Xero’s business management platform can simplify your finances when you try Xero for free.

FAQs on gender workplace equality

Find answers to common questions about gender equality in the workplace below.

What is gender equality in a workplace?

Gender equality in the workplace means providing broadly equal opportunities and outcomes for people of all genders. It's about making sure gender does not limit anyone’s opportunities or success.

What are the main points of gender equality?

The main points are: equal access to opportunities, resources and rewards; fair pay for equal work; equal chances for promotion and career development; and a workplace free from bias.

What is the gender equality in the workplace act?

In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal to discriminate at work based on sex, sexual orientation or gender reassignment. This covers recruitment, pay and dismissal.