One of the 17 global goals identified by the United Nations in 2015, achieving gender equality is one of the biggest challenges the world faces. But, while here has been some progress in recent decades, many challenges persist: discriminatory laws and social norms remain pervasive, women are still underrepresented at all levels of political leadership, and 20% of women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 report experiencing physical or sexual violence by a partner. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic also exacerbate existing inequalities in every sphere.

Feedback from women regarding their working environment can help reduce gender inequality (for example, by informing performance-review procedures and guidelines designed by business leaders and policy makers). To date, experiments have focused on gender bias in either giving or receiving feedback; however, both aspects must be considered simultaneously to determine the overall impact of feedback. This study will run online experiments to investigate how gender bias impacts the type of feedback given, how it is interpreted, and decisions based on it.

Improving our understanding of the effectiveness of feedback in the presence of gender biases has the potential to inspire enduring change in business and public policy. This can help improve working conditions for women, help them realise their full potential, and boost innovation and growth in their communities. Given that gender inequality is largest in developing countries – where women are not only the hardest hit by the pandemic but also the backbone of recovery in communities – this will help solve the immense challenges gender inequality poses to society.