What Is Hidden Gender Bias?
There was a time when gender bias was overt—”We don’t hire women lawyers.” Thankfully, those days are gone. But bias still exists. The difference is that it is much more subtle today. For example, a partner assumes that a female associate is not in the office because she is home with her children when she is actually at a client meeting. Or the partner attributes a woman’s success on a summary judgment motion to the judge’s receptiveness rather than the lawyer’s skill. Unfounded assumptions such as these may impede women’s advancement. Hidden gender bias affects what we notice about people, how we interpret their behavior, and what we remember about them. We notice, interpret, and remember behavior that is consistent with our biases. Even the slightest level of bias in the workplace can have a profound and far-reaching impact on women lawyers’ advancement to leadership positions. Initially, bias affects seemingly minor decisions such as the type and quality of assignments and the level
