The 4 D’s holding women back –  double burden, double bind, discrimination and lack of development

We all know that gender equality in the workplace is painfully slow: the latest World Economic Forum estimate is that we are 132 years off achieving gender equality. That’s five generations.

But what exactly is getting in the way?

Our recent survey of 2,352 women sought to answer this.

One of the shocking findings from our survey was that a whopping 98% of women face some combination of barriers in their career. When we analysed this data further, we identified four key themes – the 4 D’s:

1. Double burden of paid and unpaid work
2. Double bind of being regarded as either likeable or competent, but not both
3. Discrimination – everyday sexism and microagressions continue to plague organisations
4. Lack of development – women aren’t getting the support they need with their career development

And of course, not all women experience these obstacles equally. Women with a disability, lesbian and bisexual women, Black women and perimenopausal women experience the barriers more harshly.