Workplace Sexism in the “Zoom Era”

Maddie Dinnage

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Trigger warning: Discussion of sexual harassment

Chances are, within the past few years, you’ve found yourself signing up for the likes of Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Whether it be a professional necessity or a means of connecting with friends during the lockdown days, online meeting platforms have seen a steep incline in user experience.

What is the “Zoom Era”?

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the world of work needed to connect employees while face-to-face meetings were heavily restricted. In business-as-usual fashion, many companies traded boardrooms for dreaded remote break-out rooms, giving rise to what we nostalgically refer to as the “Zoom era”.

Named after the popular platform Zoom, this term refers to the period of the pandemic when employees were asked to work from their homes. As of April 2020, in the weeks following the initial UK lockdown restrictions, 46.6 per cent of employed people were working remotely.

“It’s a reality in which sexist power dynamics travel from screen to screen, infecting the confines of the home.”

Many companies saw great benefits of this transition: remote working saves money on office spaces and allows global employment. Although lockdown restrictions were lifted a while ago, many companies continue to use online video call platforms. As many as 16 per cent of companies across the globe are now fully remote and 40 per cent have adopted ‘hybrid’ methods of working. In some ways, the “Zoom era” is still ongoing.

While many praise the benefits of remote working, others find themselves experiencing a very different reality. It’s a reality in which sexist power dynamics travel from screen to screen.

The crucial difference between sexism and a good old-fashioned software virus? There’s no anti-virus software for misogyny and, instead of originating from a dodgy pop-up site, it comes from your dodgy male co-workers.

Pre-Pandemic Workplace Sexism

Naturally, workplace sexism wasn’t born the moment pandemic restrictions brought the world of work to a grinding halt. Sexism and capitalism seem to be old friends: when you encounter one, you’re likely to encounter the other. Workplace misogyny runs much deeper than the more overt gender pay gap—which continues to stand at 9.4 per cent—and finds resonance within every facet of working life.

From high-heel mandates to glass ceilings, “Girlboss culture” to sexually suggestive jokes, working women are continuously subject to subtle acts of misogyny. Many continue to face restrictions to career advancement. Those women who reach positions of power are often undermined or sexualised by their male subordinates.

Sexism in the remote workplace

Gender discrimination is nothing but resilient. Despite the confines of a global lockdown, misogyny found a way to adapt to an online climate, armed with some cruel, new behaviours.

In a 2020 study by Slater and Gordon, over 30 per cent of women reported experiencing sexism in the online work environment at least once since the initial UK lockdown in March 2020. With several employers insisting on having cameras on during video conferences, many women felt a sense of vulnerability in permitting insight into their personal space, and some felt that their appearance was being heavily scrutinised.

“Dress sexier! Sell yourself!”

While men feel comfortable turning up to their 9am video conference in casual attire, women turn to performances of femininity to maintain their professional reputation.

Queer women and Women Of Colour are predominantly affected by this pattern. They are held to an increasingly oppressive standard of femininity.

Women in positions of power are encouraged by male superiors to “dress sexier”. Studies show as many as 41 per cent of women are told dressing “sexier” would “help to win new business”.

An employment lawyer at Slater and Gordon stated: “It is categorically wrong for a manager or anyone in a position of power to suggest, even politely, for a woman to be more sexually appealing in the workplace.

“This is a powerful form of coercion which makes women feel as if they must adhere to the manager’s request and be more visually pleasing to be successful at their job. This is demeaning to women.”

Sexual harassment in the “Zoom era”

Unsurprisingly, a global pandemic and consequential virtual barrier are not enough to deter the sexual harassment of women. A Rights of Women survey found that 15 per cent of women who experienced workplace sexual harassment reported having experienced some or all of it online.

One woman expressed that she felt her privacy had been invaded by remote working: “Having to let colleagues into my bedroom [via video meetings] means that I feel my privacy has been invaded and nowhere is safe. The men now have more ammunition to mock me with.”

You might be wondering: how does a sexual harasser overcome the obstacles of a worldwide pandemic? Sexual harassment takes many sinister forms. Sometimes, this involves physical harassment, such as inappropriate physical contact or verbal assault. However, women often experience more implicit forms of sexual harassment, such as sexually suggestive jokes, invasive questions, or patronising comments.

“These statistics echo what women have been telling us already: sexual harassment at work happens online as well as in-person.”

One woman spoke bravely regarding her experience of sexual harassment on Zoom: “The director of the company uses Zoom to take screenshots of myself and other women. He shares [them] with colleagues making derogatory statements and implying the photos look like we’re doing sexual acts.”

Deeba Syeed, Senior Legal Officer of Rights of Women strongly condemned these patterns of sexual harassment: “These statistics echo what women have been telling us already: sexual harassment at work happens online as well as in-person… Online sexual harassment has increased and women continue to suffer sexual harassment, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Women working from home have seen their harassers take to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, social media, messages, and phone calls, to continue the torrent of abuse”.

The “Zoom era” Muting of Female Voices

Those who voice their experiences of sexual harassment often meet excuses regarding administration delays.

Syeed highlights the insufficiency of such excuses: ‘Women’s health and safety from sexual harassment at work is being undermined and overlooked by their employers. Women have told us that employers are exploiting the Covid-19 pandemic to delay and frustrate the justice processes for women who do come forward to report harassment.”

“It is important to call out injustice when we see it, whether it be explicit or implicit.”

One woman described how her employer viewed her complaint as unnecessary: “Due to restrictions in limiting contact with people, management haven’t wanted to go into the home of the perpetrator to speak with them… It’s not viewed as necessary and could be risky.

“It also took a long time to get a meeting arranged because, due to restrictions, only management staff were allowed into the office. It took a long time for them to answer my emails due to Covid, so the pandemic had a huge impact on the way the situation was handled”.

The tragic loss of lives and the detrimental impact on healthcare workers have, rightly so, emerged at the forefront as the most pressing consequences of the pandemic.

However, it is important to call out injustice when we see it, whether it be explicit or implicit. In working to eliminate virtual sexism, we can hope for a future where women can log onto their desktops, free from the fear of harassment, scrutiny, and sexualisation.

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Featured image courtesy of Chris Montogomery on Unsplash. Image licence found here. No changes were made to this image.