The Subtle Barriers Shaping Women’s Voices at Work

In modern workplaces, overt discrimination has become less visible. Policies have shifted, representation has improved, and few organisations would openly question a woman’s right to lead. Yet, as Jo Ellen Grzyb argues, the more persistent obstacles are often quieter – embedded in perception, behaviour and everyday interactions.

“Early on in my career, I was told directly that I was ‘too ambitious’ and that I needed to tone it down if I wanted to be accepted. I remember leaving that conversation and genuinely questioning whether I needed to shrink myself to succeed.” That tension-between ambition and acceptability – remains a defining feature of many women’s professional experiences. Research in behavioural science has long pointed to a disparity in how communication is perceived. “In my coaching, I often reference research showing that men tend to perceive women as dominating conversations, even when women are actually speaking less than their male counterparts. I’ve definitely seen that play out in practice. When a woman contributes consistently and clearly, it can be labelled as ‘taking over’, but the same level of input from a man is viewed as confident and authoritative.”

Such dynamics shape not only how women are heard, but how they choose to present themselves. “I could have softened my language, downplayed what I wanted, tried to be more ‘acceptable’, but that would have been both exhausting and counterproductive. How could I build something meaningful if I was constantly editing myself?” Grzyb’s response was to reframe the terms of ambition itself. “My solution was reframing ambition as something inclusive. Instead of making it about proving myself, I focused on bringing people with me by being open about what I wanted to achieve, then inviting others into that journey. That shift made it feel far more authentic, and ironically, far more effective.”

If ambition is shaped by perception, leadership is shaped by interaction. Even in senior roles, bias can operate in subtle ways. “I’ll be honest, I’ve experienced this first-hand. Robin is my cofounder, and he’s brilliant, but there have been countless situations where we’ve both been in the room, yet comments were directed to him by default.” These patterns are rarely explicit, but they are measurable. “It’s rarely overt. This bias is only apparent when you look at who gets interrupted, who gets credited for ideas, or whose opinion is instinctively deferred to. There’s a body of research in behavioural science that shows women are more likely to be talked over in meetings and less likely to have their contributions recognised, and I think that still happens in workplace settings regardless of how impressive a woman is.”

The cumulative effect, she suggests, is significant. “Naturally, this has a cumulative impact on women at work. People don’t realise the weight of the extra cognitive load of having to manage how your voice is received on top of the work you’re doing.” Addressing such bias requires more than awareness alone. “Awareness of bias is improving, but tackling it does require both organisations and individuals to be more intentional about how meetings are run, how contributions are acknowledged, and whose voices are being heard. These biases have a very real negative impact.”

Beyond the workplace, expectations around work and life continue to evolve. The notion of balance, often presented as an ideal, is one Grzyb questions. “I’ve never really believed in the idea of perfect balance. That implies everything sits neatly in its own box, and in reality, it rarely does.” Instead, she describes a more fluid model. “My life has always had multiple strands. Alongside running a business, I’ve been involved in community work, volunteering and creative projects, so I had to get comfortable quite early on with the idea that things overlap, and that my definition of success includes nurturing my relationships and community just as prominently as supporting business growth.”

Her approach emphasises presence over symmetry. “I try to think less about ‘balance’ and more about presence. When I’m working, I’m working. When I’m with family or in my community, I try to be fully present. It’s not always perfect, but cultivating that mindset takes some of the pressure off trying to do everything, all the time.” Cultural attitudes, she notes, may also be shifting. “I also think there’s an important shift happening in younger generations, who are moving the cultural narrative away from the idea that success has to look a specific way, and I think that’s wonderful.”

Yet structural inequalities remain, particularly in access to capital. “I don’t think we’re there yet, and I think the reasons are often more subtle than people expect.” Rather than explicit discrimination, she points to perception. “It’s not usually about someone explicitly saying no because you’re a woman. It’s really about perception by the people making those decisions. Who feels credible to them? Who feels like a ‘safe’ investment? Who gets listened to?”

Historical context continues to shape those judgements. “Remember, a lot of the people who sit on these boards were present in a society where women were not allowed their own credit cards: there may have been huge systemic shifts in the intervening years, but we can’t magically eradicate the ideas people grow up with when we change the rules.” In funding decisions, such biases can have material consequences. “In my work around behaviour and workplace dynamics, I’ve seen how much those biases shape decision-making. If someone’s voice isn’t valued as much as others in the room, or their confidence is read as arrogance, that has a knock-on effect; in a funding context, that can be significant.”

Because these dynamics are often understated, they are harder to confront. “Until we address those underlying perceptions, we’ll continue to see disparities. The challenge is that because they’re so subtle, they can be easy to overlook.” For the next generation, the most immediate changes may lie in everyday interactions. “I think the most immediate shift would be around how we respond to women’s voices and ambition, both in everyday interactions and in more formal settings like funding or leadership conversations.”

Small moments, she suggests, accumulate into larger outcomes. “If a woman puts forward an idea, is it heard the first time? Is it built on? Is it credited appropriately? Those things might sound insignificant, but they shape confidence, visibility and ultimately, access to opportunity.” Broadening definitions of leadership is equally important. “We also need to normalise different styles of leadership. There isn’t one ‘right’ way to lead or to grow a business. Broadening that definition creates more space for people to succeed on their own terms, whatever those may be.” Change, in this sense, begins with attention. “I think it comes back to awareness. Once you start noticing the patterns in who speaks, who gets heard and whose ideas move forward, you can begin to subtly challenge and reshape them.”