Compiled by Emily Barske Wood and Macey Shofroth
This coverage is from the Business Record’s annual survey on women’s and gender issues as part of our Fearless initiative. While nonscientific, we believe the results of this questionnaire illustrate current opinions about Iowa women’s equity in and outside of work. Read previous coverage here.
Have you experienced gender bias in everyday life?
Overall average:
Yes: 71%
No: 29%
Percentages of just respondents who identify as women or nonbinary:
Yes: 80%
No: 20%
Percentages of just respondents who identify as men:
Yes: 43%
No: 57%
Comments from respondents who identify as women or nonbinary:
“Women are always perceived to be the primary caregiver/the default parent.”
“Nearly every woman who has ever purchased a vehicle has a story about gender bias ranging from little eye contact to condescending comments to attempts to charge more. There are similar examples in working with contractors. Health care has also been frustrating with ‘hormones’ getting the blame before testing is even done.”
“It’s really frustrating when people expect you to be physically weak as a female-bodied person, as if I can’t pick something up or help push a car because it’ll hurt me somehow. As long as I’m healthy and smart, I’m not going to hurt myself. It’s not like my uterus will rip out from physical exertion.”
“I was once denied a mortgage because I wasn’t married and told to come back when I was married and could be serious about buying a house. That bank is no longer in business and my female Realtor promised to never bring them a client again. I was approved by another bank.”
“As a woman, I’m often criticized for my choices, whereas my husband doesn’t receive the same level of scrutiny on anything.”
“As a petite person, my personal space is often compromised. People don’t make room for me on the sidewalk, in a crowd, on an airplane. They assume that because I am already small, I can make myself smaller so they can take up more space.”
“Men cutting me off mid-sentence to finish explaining precisely what I was saying. My own husband did this recently, and I called him out on it. He didn’t even realize what he had done or how it affects women.”
“I encounter gender bias in everyday life more often than I would expect, particularly within my upbringing and family environment, which is strongly influenced by conservative political views. I have been told that women belong at home caring for children, that women are responsible for wage disparities, and that financial or professional inequities result from personal choices rather than systemic barriers. These narratives place blame on women for challenges they did not create and continue to face. In professional and public settings, I often observe that while many men are increasingly accepting of women in leadership roles, there remains an underlying belief that ultimate authority should still rest with men. A recent experience reinforced this sentiment: A legislator visited my home to discuss his political campaign and later sent correspondence addressed solely to my boyfriend’s family name, despite knowing that we are both divorced, living together and that I am the homeowner. This oversight felt deeply dismissive and emblematic of the broader tendency to default recognition and authority to men, even when women are clearly equal — or primary — stakeholders.”
“I’m Hispanic and elderly and more than once I’ve been asked if I can read or understand comments.”
“Cat calls; people expecting my husband to be the one who makes financial decisions; kids’ schools calling me when one is sick, and on and on.”
“Having an opinion is not received well by many.”
Comments from respondents who identify as men:
“As a man, I’m generally not in spaces where gender bias would negatively affect me so I’m not great at seeing it when gender bias occurs in everyday life. Not that it isn’t present.”
“I am continually being treated poorly for being a male. The environment that has been created has been focused on individuals’ ethnicity and gender rather than is this person a good, wholesome person with strong character and a good heart.”
“I saw a phrase on LinkedIn several times last year that really hit home – Stale / Pale / Male. All could think was ‘wow.’”
