Double standard at the workplace

Society can make the climb harder for women.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Powerful and visionary, women like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn, and Razia Sultana shaped history with their courage and intellect. Cleopatra, a master strategist, secured Egypt’s survival amid Roman expansion. Anne, a key figure in the English Reformation, influenced a nation’s religious transformation. Razia, the Delhi Sultanate’s only female ruler, was a bold and capable leader.

Yet, what do we hear of them?

Cleopatra is dismissed as a seductress, Anne as an adulteress, and Razia’s brilliance is overshadowed by baseless rumours of an affair with her slave. These reductive narratives, shaped by patriarchal bias, have eclipsed their true brilliance.

From the palaces where these women once wielded power to the offices of today, time has marched on, yet society’s gaze remains unyielding. Beauty, though often seen as an advantage, continues to wield a double-edged sword in the workplace. At first glance, being conventionally attractive seems like a career asset. Studies reveal that “good-looking” individuals are more likely to be hired. But that’s only part of the story. For many women, the privilege of beauty is a Trojan horse, ushering in a minefield of uncomfortable advances, credibility battles, and unwarranted scrutiny.

Think about the whole “too pretty to be taken seriously” thing. Attractive women often find themselves underestimated at work, their accomplishments second-guessed or attributed to their looks. A sharp pitch in a meeting? Dismissed as the charm offensive of a “pretty face”. Hard-earned achievements? Tarnished by gossip of favouritism or flirtation with the boss. While a man’s charisma might earn him accolades for “leadership potential”, an equally striking woman risks being typecast as ornamental.

Many women in the workplace report a common occurrence of inappropriate comments and uncomfortable advances from colleagues or supervisors. In these cases, beauty becomes a liability; a reason to dismiss harassment as “harmless” or, worse, as something to be flattered by.

The double bind is relentless. Reject the unwanted attention, and you’re “difficult to work with”. Try handling it with grace, and you risk perpetuating the idea that your presence is decorative rather than professional. Either way, the toll on mental health and career progression is significant.

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with some of my female colleagues about our experiences on LinkedIn. It didn’t take long for the conversation to shift to a shared frustration: the constant barrage of “compliments” we receive on what’s supposed to be a professional networking platform.

Almost everyone had a story. One colleague shared how a post about a career milestone prompted someone to comment, “Wow, beauty and brains!” Another said she’d been congratulated on a big project, only for the message to end with, “By the way, you have such a stunning smile!” For others, the messages went beyond flattery, crossing into uncomfortable territory with invitations to coffee that clearly had nothing to do with professional collaboration.

It’s exhausting. Instead of being recognised for our achievements, we’re sidetracked by comments that focus on our looks, not our work. What’s worse is how it undermines the effort we put into building our professional reputations. It’s clear that the struggle isn’t just about proving our worth through work. It’s about fighting against a system that continually reduces us to how we look.

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