Step 5. Check for gender bias

Why?

Gender bias can creep in even in the job evaluation and classification of small teams, especially when using an alternative method to the most robust approach to gender-neutral job evaluation (the point–factor method used in Tool 5). A final check can help you catch remaining gaps.

How?

  • Look at the ranking: are women-dominated jobs always at the bottom?
  • Think about hidden work and soft skills and revisit justifications (e.g. did you undervalue emotional or social skills)?
  • Adjust levels where necessary, based on evidence.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Assuming gender bias cannot happen in a small organisation.
  • Overlooking ‘invisible’ work, often carried out by women (e.g. care, coordination, emotional labour).
  • Assuming some job demands are personality traits or qualities of the job holder (e.g. being able to multitask).