Women in sales face daily discrimination: More needs to be done to break the cycle

Author: Debbie Airey

In industries like construction, process, safety, and other technical fields, women who work in sales roles encounter unique challenges that go beyond simply selling their product or service. Many of us are not only working to secure contracts or grow accounts; we’re also contending with daily discrimination, dismissive attitudes, and systemic issues that create an uphill battle for acceptance and respect in our roles. 

Questions of Competence

A common experience among women in sales is having their competence questioned; either explicitly or through more insidious, subtle forms of discrimination founded in underlying assumptions.  I once accompanied a male colleague to a customer meeting. The customer took my colleague into the meeting room… and shut the door on me! It took my male colleague to say ‘no, this is the sales director’ to right that assumption. 

This “prove-yourself” mentality, which is absent for male colleagues, leads to a persistent pressure on women to validate their competence in every interaction. This lingering bias sends a subtle but clear message that women are assumed to lack technical expertise. We can feel in a perpetual state of having to validate our right to be in the room.

Navigating Sexist Comments and Harassment

For many women, daily interactions are peppered with offhand, low-grade sexism. I’ve experienced countless comments on women’s appearance, unsolicited assumptions about my sexuality, and even inappropriate emails and messages. 

I’ve heard sales managers using the phrase “tits and teeth” as advice to get through the door - a degrading approach that undermines a woman’s expertise and positions them as objects rather than professionals. How can we expect female salespeople to uphold credibility when they’re encouraged to focus on their appearance over their expertise? This mentality doesn’t just undermine our professionalism; it promotes the harmful idea that our value is based on looks rather than knowledge and skill.

Facing Unsafe Working Conditions

It’s not just a lack of safety from people’s behaviours and attitudes that challenges women. In industries with specific site visit requirements, sales women are often provided with inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE). I have yet to visit a customer site where correctly fitting PPE is available. 

Budgets for PPE equipment drive businesses to purchase unisex PPE, or even worse, PPE to fit the majority (male). Businesses don’t want to spend the extra and manufacturers often charge extra for a female version. I’ve even heard companies use the term ‘shrink it and pink it’. They’ll make it smaller, colour it pink and call it female. It’s as if changing the colour is enough to call it inclusive!

This isn’t just sexist. It puts women in danger. A bamboozling 77% of tradeswomen have been exposed to hazards due to poor PPE fit. The reality is that, in industries where heavy machinery, chemicals, and other hazards are commonplace, ill-fitting PPE increases the risk of injury. 

An Inclusive Industry

There are more and more initiatives that are aimed at increasing diversity and inclusivity in the workforce – and its welcomed! Seeing more women thriving in traditionally male-dominated workplaces – demonstrating their capability and expertise – will naturally start to unravel some of the unconscious prejudices and assumptions about women in technical fields. Women representation ripples outwards, showing young women they belong here too and can carve meaningful careers in this space. 

These initiatives aren’t just beneficial for women; it’s a good business decision. Research supports the benefits of diverse teams, where mixed groups (gender, social origin etc.) outperform homogenous ones. In fact, McKinsey reports that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity at the executive level are 25% more likely to experience higher profitability, and Forrester Consulting that diverse sales teams have higher conversion rates.

But is there a missing piece to the puzzle?

Are we truly driving inclusivity?

While women representation has generally trended upwards across traditionally male-dominated industries, keeping women in the workforce has proven challenging. Industries may have a great initiative but do they have the processes, equipment and safeguards in place to retain these women?

It’s not just about safe PPE (although that would be a good start!). Too often, complaints about harassment or discriminatory comments are met with indifference, as if these issues are simply “part of the industry.” I’ve seen companies brush off incidents of harassment with a shrug and a “that’s just how it is.” This kind of response doesn’t just dismiss the severity of the problem, it erodes trust. It actively discourages women from speaking up in the future – especially when raising a complaint about a customer is hard enough when a potential loss of business could follow. 

Businesses need to do better. And there are plenty that are leading the way. I’ve been fortunate to be employed by companies that take complaints seriously and that have given me the confidence and safe environment to raise concerns. It even goes beyond an “open door policy”. We need people to know that doors lead to empathetic listeners, where they’re concerns about safety, discrimination, or career advancement are not only heard but acted upon. 

About Debbie Airey

Debbie Airey is a dedicated sales trainer at george james with a rich background in Process, Industry & Safety. Inside and outside of work, as a park run enthusiast and a Sales Director, Debbie is passionate about building inclusive communities, teams and individuals. Her mission is to help people build confidence and expertise, both in their careers and personal lives. To learn more about the tailored sales training and team development programs Debbie offers, you can contact her directly at debbie.airey@georgejamesltd.com.

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