Workplace equality has been defined by the International Labor Organization (ILO) as equal working conditions and treatment at work regardless of gender, race, color, religion, political opinion, national origin, or social background (ILO, 1958). Outside of this ILO convention, there are many other documents and conventions that have reaffirmed the right to non-discrimination in the workplace , including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN, 1948), the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998), and more recently, the 2030 Agenda (United Nations, 2015), which includes gender equality as one of its goals.
In spite of all these efforts at the policy-making level, it remains true that leadership positions, access to promotion, improved employment, and increased remuneration are still in the hands of white, heterosexual, upper-class men. Evidence shows that although women gained the legal right to work throughout the 20th century, they continue to face obstacles in taking up leadership positions and achieving equal pay (Galsanjigmed & Sekiguchi, 2023). Black professionals face structural discrimination (Mugambi et al., 2025), equally does the LGBTQIA+ community (Steiger & Henry, 2020). These are even more pressing when viewed from an intersectional perspective. Studies have shown that the intersection between multiple marginalized identities makes one more likely to suffer discrimination at the workplace (Hwang, 2024; Goddard et al., 2024).
The following text explores the mechanisms of systemic exclusion and professional barriers faced by marginalized groups. Additionally, it addresses sensitive topics including historical forced labor, workplace harassment, and the resulting impacts on mental health, such as depression and suicidal ideation.
Framing & Perspectives
Discrimination in the workplace continues to prevent us from achieving an equal work environment. Discrimination can manifest itself in many ways, ranging from subtle to explicit. It can arise from the moment of hiring and continue in practices such as harassment, barriers to career progression, and wage differences (Feitosa et al., 2025; Pompper, 2017). Before reaching working age, children are exposed to everyday practices experienced during childhood and school life that perpetuate stereotypes of professional/career chances of each individual (O’Grady et al., 2024). Due to its deep roots in social inequality, this dynamic tends to particularly harm multiply-marginalized, historically excluded (MMHE) groups – such as women, racialized people, immigrants, LGBTQIA+ individuals (Akramov, 2024). Historically, MMHE groups have been systematically excluded from jobs or pushed into precarious jobs (Arce & Segura, 2015).
Women were excluded from patriarchal agreements and laws that prevented them from doing certain jobs and limited them to being “housewives” (Murphy, 1988). Even when there was a labor scarcity and women were working, they remained invisible in official statistics, or their jobs were not officially recognized (Smith, 1997). This pattern persisted for decades and still happens today, despite all the progress women have made (Xiao & Asadullah, 2020). For example, fields of study such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) have very little female presence, with only 28.2% of women worldwide (SWE 2025), and the percentage is even lower if we consider more male-dominated fields such as engineering.
This is the result of a stereotype that is created from childhood that reduces the incentive for women to pursue these careers while encouraging men (Heck et al., 2021). For instance, from an early age, boys are encouraged to play with building toys and receive praise for creating, engineering, or technology. In contrast, girls are generally directed toward play that highlights care and beauty, such as with dolls or art supplies. These gendered presumptions subtly affect traditional masculinity interest and self-efficacy, and therefore most girls perceive STEM as “masculine” or incompatible with their identity (Master et al., 2021; Cheryan et al., 2017). Furthermore, although women represent 47.3% of the global workforce, the percentage of women in leadership positions is disproportionately low, at only 25% (SWE, 2025; World Economic Forum, 2023; Galvin et al., 2024). According to UN Women (n.d.), even when women have the same education, experience, and positions, they earn 23% less than their male colleagues.
In a similar way, racialized people have been used for a long time as slave labor, and after slavery was abolished, they were kept in precarious work situations, supported by racial ideologies that were reflected in the laws (Jones, 2009). This pattern of exclusion is repeated for other minority groups, such as people with disabilities, immigrants, and LGBTQIA individuals (Ng et al., 2024; Blanck et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2024). These markers of inequality (gender, race, religion, social class) do not normally appear in isolation. Each individual has a set of overlapping identities, some of which may connect to additional structural vulnerabilities and marginalizations. .
For example, historically, Black women have had lower wages and less job stability compared to White women (Collins & Moody, 2017). Muslim immigrant women in Canada tend to face great difficulties in entering the labor market, even though they are highly qualified, due to the intersection of immigration status, religion, and gender (Nazari et al., 2024).
Relevance
The absence of equality in the workplace due to the ever-present discrimination that is present in our society brings with it numerous problems, particularly for the victims of discrimination. Existing literature reveals that, besides economic loss and a lack of opportunities for their career, workers who experience discrimination tend to develop mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts (Clausen et al., 2022; Straton et al., 2020). While the majority of companies have ineffective policies for promoting equality, discrimination also negatively impacts organizations by reducing motivation and productivity, and increasing turnover and absenteeism (Elliot, 2023; Sheng et al., 2022).
It is essential to combat discrimination in order to bring about egalitarian working conditions. For this to occur, robust public policy and inclusive organizational processes must be synthesized (Holmes et al., 2023). Equal access to good-quality educational opportunities should be supported by public policies, while compelling companies to be diversity-sensitive must be legislated (Lombe & Sherraden, 2009). Iceland is a good example of a country that combines equal access to education with laws that make companies more egalitarian. For example, since 2018, companies with more than 25 employees have been required to have a certification on equal pay (Government of Iceland, 2018). In its education plan, Educational Policy 2030, equality is found across all objectives and provides, from early childhood, incentives for the same skills regardless of gender (OECD, 2025). This combination of actions has had a visible positive effect on the wage gender wage gap, which fell from 4.4% in 2019 to 3.6% in 2023. Iceland is currently the only country in the world where more than 90% of the gender inequality has been eliminated (Government of Iceland, 2023; World Economic Forum, 2024).
When it comes to businesses, having a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program that involves more than just paperwork is crucial. This program should translate into more diverse hiring practices, ongoing employee training to prevent discrimination in the workplace, and ongoing equality indicator tracking (Moore et al., 2023). In addition, everyone must realize that an egalitarian arrangement cannot be established without the practice of intersectionality. Combating discrimination, therefore, requires a systematic approach involving every corner of the company (Sweeting, 2023).
Keywords: Workplace Equality, Gender Inequality, Employment Discrimination, Diversity, Equity And Inclusion (DEI), Mental Health At Work
Connected terms: Microaggressions, Discrimination, Sexism , Gender-based Violence, Job Polarization , Housewifization
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