Everybody agrees that gender discrimination is wrong. But figuring out when it’s happening isn’t always so clear.

That’s why researchers from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management suggest that companies should set up ways for employees to share their concerns if they think they’ve experienced gender discrimination, even if they’re not completely sure. People might want to keep quiet to avoid trouble if they’re wrong, but staying silent can hurt the workplace vibe and performance, the researchers warn.

Better understanding

“Not every ambiguous incident is discriminatory — some are simply misunderstandings,” the researchers explain. “In order to adjudicate between discrimination and misunderstandings, we suggest that organizations look for patterns. Are people repeatedly sharing concerns about the same person or situation? If so, it’s worth investigating as possible cases of discrimination.”

Over 2,000 women in professional roles took part in the study. They were interviewed personally, answered a survey, and were presented with different scenarios to see how they would react. The researchers discovered that women were more likely to speak up when they faced clear-cut discrimination. For instance, if a boss gave more challenging tasks to male colleagues while assigning less important administrative work to a female peer, women would raise their concerns.

However, when the situation was less certain — like when a supervisor might have missed a woman’s contribution due to a ringing phone — the researchers observed that women tended to keep it to themselves and focused more on their own work habits.

“They plan to change things about themselves like speaking louder, working harder, and calling more attention to their efforts at work,” the researchers explain.

Unclear incidents

They discovered that unclear incidents occurred more often than obvious ones. These ambiguous situations became a distracting concern for women, affecting their confidence to progress in their organizations.

To reduce uncertainty, the researchers propose that organizations enhance transparency in their internal processes. This could involve widely advertising job opportunities, clearly outlining criteria, and explaining the reasoning behind specific hiring and promotion decisions.

Creating an environment where employees feel at ease sharing their concerns informally, through channels like an equity and diversity officer or an ombudsman’s office, and fostering a culture where colleagues and leaders support each other in addressing potential gender discrimination can be beneficial. If uncertain, employees who suspect gender discrimination might find a trusted colleague to discuss the situation, as staying silent not only hampers individual careers but also impedes progress toward positive change for everyone.

“If organizations don’t know about experiences that are discriminatory – and, if these things are happening to multiple women suffering in isolation – then there’s no capacity for leaders to take action to address these problems,” the researchers conclude.