He asked for extended paternity leave.They laughed.Not because they were cruel.But because they thought he can't be serious.
I’ve supported countless leaders through complex HR cases.
But the ones that sting the most?
It's the ones they didn’t see coming.
It's the leadership responses wrapped in indirect and hidden gender biases.
A manager once told me:“We offered flexible working to the mums.
He’s the dad - surely his wife is off to look after the baby.”
They didn’t realise that sentence alone could be grounds for a claim.
Because sex discrimination doesn’t just impact women.
It impacts anyone whose treatment is shaped by outdated gender assumptions.
➤ A man is denied flexible working because his wife is “already part-time”
➤ The male assistant passed over for promotion because he “won’t want to do this long term”
➤ The father skipped for shared parental leave because “that role can’t handle another absence”
These aren't just dangerous perceptions.
They’re patterns.
And yes - legally, they can constitute as discrimination on grounds of sex.
Under the Equality Act 2010, a man can raise a claim if:✔️ He’s treated less favourably because of gender-based assumptions
✔️ He’s denied access to benefits offered to others
✔️ He’s penalised for requesting support others receive without question
And no - he doesn’t have to prove intent.
Just impact.
If theres possible risk of this in your workplace today, here's what I want you to do;
1️⃣ Audit flexible working outcomes - who gets approval, and who doesn’t. And why
2️⃣ Review paternity, parental, and carers’ leave uptake and attitudes
3️⃣ Train managers to separate performance from personality
4️⃣ Check that male-dominated roles aren’t shielded from wellbeing access
5️⃣ Ask: If a woman raised this issue - would we respond differently?
Gender equity isn’t just a woman's issue.
Its everybody's business.
Want to run our bespoke Gender Equity Diagnostic (G.E.D) in your company?
Enquire here
https://lnkd.in/epaJRseP👋🏽 𝗛𝗶, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁.
𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.
𝗪𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴.
𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲.
📅 Book a consultation with me:
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