Gender bias in everyday life

How old role models continue to shape our perspective to this day

Gender bias is not an abstract theoretical problem, but part of our everyday life. It is embedded in language, expectations, education, profession, medicine, and politics. Often it seems so self-evident that we hardly notice it. That's precisely why it's important to make it visible. For what appears harmless or traditional is often an expression of centuries-old power relations. And in a time when right-wing and anti-feminist forces are becoming louder again, this is not just a societal issue, but a democratic one.

Your gender decides a lot for you.

Talking is essential

Some forms of inequality are simple to recognize. Others appear quiet, everyday, and almost invisible. That's precisely what makes gender bias so effective. Such bias is not only evident where women are openly disadvantaged, trans people are attacked, or queer lifestyles are devalued. The phenomenon also manifests where expectations are so deeply ingrained in our minds that they appear natural. For example, when girls are considered cautious, social, and tidy, and boys are read as brave, loud, and technically gifted. When care appears to be inherently female, while authority is seen as male. Or when people who do not fit into this order are marked as irritating, difficult, or ideological. Such patterns do not fall from the sky. They have developed historically and continue to have an impact to this day. ¹

It's not just a matter of perception. It's about who is considered competent, who is listened to, whose pain is taken seriously, who makes a career, who has to adapt, and who even appears normal. Gender bias is not a fringe issue for specialist debates. It touches on the fundamental question of how we organize society and whom we recognize as full members within it. ²

An old mechanism in a new guise

Preconceptions about gender are older than modern democracies. For centuries, women in Europe were systematically assigned to specific roles. They were considered more emotional, physically weaker, less rational, and thus unsuitable for political participation, scientific authority, or economic independence. What is often marketed today as "traditional values" was historically, above all, an order of inequality. That women were not allowed to vote, did not have equal access to education, or were kept legally and economically dependent was not a result of biological necessity but a politically, religiously, and culturally legitimized hierarchy. That these conditions have changed is the result of social struggles, not natural developments. ³

The term antifeminism is by no means new either. Hedwig Dohm already used the term antifeminism in the German-speaking world in 1902, according to the Federal Agency for Civic Education. Antifeminism was therefore not just a simple defense against individual demands early on but an organized reaction against emancipation, equality, and the questioning of rigid gender roles. This event is significant because it shows that today's debates are not random culture wars. They are part of a long tradition of defending power structures. ³

Gender bias doesn't start only in the workplace

When thinking of disadvantage, people often first have salary or career in mind. In fact, gender bias starts much earlier. Children learn very early which behaviors are considered appropriate. Toys, clothing, colors, compliments, role models, and adult reactions often convey expectations to young children. Girls are more often praised for consideration, helpfulness, and cuteness, while boys are praised for courage, assertiveness, and strength. This shapes not only interests but also self-images.

Research shows that these decisions extend into school instruction: studies based on blind grading show that not only the gender-specific development of skills leads to gender gaps, but also teachers with strong gender biases contribute to this. Specifically, we can observe gender gaps in mathematics, reading skills, and science. ⁴

In addition, how language shapes job profiles: If female designations are also used for typical male professions, more girls can imagine taking up that profession, as shown by a widely cited study from the Free University of Berlin. Conversely, the same applies to boys in typical female professions as soon as the male form is used. The choice of language thus also determines how children can even imagine themselves in a professional role. ⁵

The OECD notes that children and adolescents are influenced by gender stereotypes from a young age and that parents, schools, teachers, and peers play an important role in how such images are internalized. ⁶

This conditioning has consequences for everyone. When boys learn that they are allowed to express emotions primarily in the form of anger but not as insecurity or vulnerability, it harms not only girls or women. It also harms them. When girls learn not to be too loud, not too dominant, or not too demanding, they are deprived of opportunities long before it comes to applications or salary.

Language is never neutral

Language also conveys expectations. Even the question of whether a woman appears "ambitious" or "too ambitious," a man "assertive" or "dominant" shows how differently behavior is evaluated. The same behavior is often interpreted differently depending on gender. Those behaviors, which are praised for being empathetic in women, are sometimes considered weak in men. Language does not merely reflect reality. It also dominates it. ²

This also applies to formal contexts. The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency points out that job advertisements should already be formulated as neutrally as possible and in a gender-equitable manner so that people do not feel excluded from the outset. At first, this sounds technical, but it is a deep insight into the practice of bias. The way tasks, requirements, and roles are described already influences who feels addressed and who self-selects out. ⁷

In professional life, this becomes particularly evident

A particularly visible field is the workplace. This is not just about open discrimination but about ingrained patterns: Who is perceived as a leader, who is trusted with technical competence, who is considered "reliable," and who is seen as "too emotional." The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency emphasizes that equal treatment must apply throughout the entire working life, from the application to promotion, working conditions, and pay. ²

The figures on pay show that equality is by no means achieved. In 2025, women in Germany earned an average of 16 percent less per hour than men. Even with comparable work, qualifications, and employment history, female employees earned an average of six percent less than their male colleagues. The gender gap in the labor market, which also includes differences in labor force participation and hours worked, remained at 37 percent in 2025, the same level as the previous year. Thus, it stagnated after a decline in 2024. ⁸

Particularly revealing is the fact that such differences are often individualized afterward. Then it is said that women simply made different choices, chose different professions, or set their priorities differently. That ignores the fact that decisions are never made in a vacuum. Those who grow up with certain expectations from a young age, those who are more likely to be assigned carework socially, and those who receive less recognition or worse pay in certain professions do not make decisions independently of these structures. Bias means precisely that inequality is misunderstood as a personal decision. ⁶

Medicine is also not without gender bias

Gender bias becomes particularly consequential where it has health implications. Gender medicine has been pointing out for years that symptoms, disease progression, and care are not gender-neutral. The example of a heart attack is particularly striking: The typical symptoms, such as a strong feeling of tightness or pressure in the chest radiating to the left arm, are typically found in men. In women, these are less common; moreover, they more often exhibit nonspecific and more varied symptoms such as shortness of breath and pain in the upper abdomen and back, as well as nausea and sweating. This often leads to the symptoms being misinterpreted, for example, as indigestion. ⁹

The consequences are dramatically measurable: Even when women with a heart attack are successfully treated, they have a significantly higher risk of death than men. In the first 30 days, the risk is almost three times higher, and within five years, it is still twice as high. A possible cause is that women tend to seek medical help later and are then treated even later. ¹⁰

The reason for these knowledge gaps is structural: Women are severely underrepresented in clinical studies on cardiovascular therapy. The German Society for Cardiology published its first position paper on gender medicine in 2024 and calls for more gender-specific research. An international expert panel led by MedUni Vienna published concrete recommendations for gender-specific therapy of heart attacks for the first time in 2025, which appeared in renowned professional journals. ¹¹

This is more than a peripheral aspect of healthcare. This demonstrates the deep-rooted assumptions about the "normal case" that institutions uphold. Those who are considered the norm benefit from it. Those who deviate from this norm often have to prove that their symptoms, needs, or experiences are real.

Gender bias does not affect everyone equally

It is also important that gender bias does not remain at a simple dichotomy between men and women. It particularly affects people who experience multiple axes of devaluation simultaneously, such as trans, inter, and non-binary individuals, people with disabilities, poor people, people of color, or migrants. Those who do not fit into the narrow image of "proper" masculinity or "proper" femininity are more quickly pathologized, ridiculed, or completely pushed out of the public image. The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency also points out structural disadvantages faced by gender-diverse people in the workplace context. ¹²

That's precisely why it's not enough to look at individual injustices. Gender bias is part of a broader way of thinking about order. It is always also about the question of which bodies, lifestyles, and biographies are to be considered legitimate and which are not. ¹³

Why the view on the political situation is so important

Gender bias is not just something we carry around by accident in our daily lives. It is politically organized, ideologically charged, and strategically utilized. The Federal Agency for Civic Education explicitly describes antifeminism as an ideology and political strategy. ³

The figures presented by the Leipzig Authoritarianism Study 2024 on this matter are alarmingly specific: A quarter of the German population holds firmly antifeminist views, and just as many have a firmly sexist worldview. With closed transphobic attitudes, the values are even higher at 37 percent. In East Germany and among men, these values are particularly high. More than a third of the East German respondents now believe that women often make fools of themselves in politics. ¹⁴

This is the point where gender bias stops being just an educational or awareness issue. When anti-feminist and anti-queer narratives are politically mobilized, it is not just about opinions but about the deliberate rollback of progress. Right-wing and far-right actors have long used gender politics as a hinge to ignite broader societal conflicts. ¹⁵

The right-wing backlash is not a trivial matter

The researchers of the Leipzig Authoritarianism Study have, for the first time in 2024, recorded transphobia alongside antifeminism. Thus, 40 percent of West Germans and 58.5 percent of East Germans agreed with the statement that tolerance toward transgender people in Germany is exaggerated. These are findings that go far beyond mere fringe phenomena. ¹⁶

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation explicitly describes antifeminism as a central mobilization tool of the extreme right and points out that equality policies, feminist concerns, and queer visibility are deliberately delegitimized. Such campaigns often work with the feeling that one is "no longer allowed to say anything," while at the same time aggressively mobilizing against the rights of others. ¹⁷

At the European level, the European Parliament warns in its 2026 report on the state of fundamental rights of increasing pressure on the rule of law, civil society spaces, and the rights of women and LGBTQIA* persons. The European Commission also emphasizes that gender justice is closely linked to democracy, the rule of law, and social cohesion. In other words, those who attack equality are not just attacking a specialized issue but democratic fundamental principles. ¹⁸

The regression rarely announces itself with the open statement that women should be silent again or queer people should become invisible. It often comes in a friendly-sounding package: as a call for order, as concern for children, as a longing for normality, and as supposedly common sense. But behind this rhetoric often lies the same old logic: clear hierarchies, distinct gender roles, and strict boundaries of what is considered livable and legitimate. ³

What this means for our daily lives

The political backlash closely links to everyday bias. When right-wing movements talk about "true femininity" or "real men," they are tapping into exactly those small, everyday assumptions that many have long internalized. The idea that women are naturally more nurturing, men more assertive, and non-binary or trans people an expression of an exaggerated zeitgeist is widespread. The more normal such basic assumptions are in everyday life, the easier it is for political forces to sharpen them and use them against equality. ¹⁹

That's why it's so important not to treat gender bias as a minor behavioral flaw. It is the breeding ground on which more far-reaching forms of exclusion grow. Those who constantly learn in everyday life that women have less authority, queer people are in need of explanation, or care is female and power is male become more receptive to political narratives. These political narratives aim to reestablish a societal order based on exactly that. The way back does not begin with the law. It begins in the gaze, in the language, in the evaluation, in the gut feeling. ⁶

It's not about perfection

No one is free from preconceptions. That's not what it's about either. What matters is whether we are ready to recognize, question, and take their consequences seriously. Those who make gender bias visible do not divide society. Those who deny it stabilize inequality. This confrontation is not a trivial matter, especially now when authoritarian and right-wing forces seek to gain influence. It is part of democratic self-defense. ¹⁸

Progress is not guaranteed. Rights can be expanded, but they can also be pushed back. That's exactly why it's worth paying attention to. In the big and the small. Right now. ²⁰

Yours, Lizbeth

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