I was recently told by a woman that when she applied for a position at a prominent bank in the early 1970’s the application contained a space for the date of her last period. It was a question used to avoid hiring any woman who was pregnant. My reaction was stunned disbelief. Although overt discrimination still occurs today, it is rarely so extreme or obvious. Today’s gender bias tends to be subtle rather than blatant. If this story makes you think “we have come a long way baby” regarding gender discrimination, a recent article in the Harvard Business Review may have you rethinking that.

The article “Why Subtle Bias is So Often Worse than Blatant Discrimination” is based on the results of a meta-data analysis conducted by the authors Eden King and Kristen Jones. They coded discrimination as subtle or overt in every study they could find that examined the relationship of gender discrimination on various outcomes, such as career success and satisfaction, stress and turnover. The results, not surprisingly, showed that discrimination of any type has negative consequences. However, the really surprising finding was that subtle discrimination was as bad as, if not worse than, blatant discrimination.

Subtle gender bias is one of the six types of gender blind spots I discuss in my book Understanding Gender at Work. It can take many forms including interruptions, stealing ideas, using double standards in performance evaluations, mansplaining, giving less informal feedback and providing vague reasons for passing women over for promotions, raises or leadership positions. Women, before they learn to recognize subtle gender bias, can feel they are being gas lighted – to the point of making them doubt their own perceptions. In seminars women routinely express relief when learning to recognise it and often say things like “now I get it” and “great – I’m not crazy”.

Many of these subtle forms of gender bias are referred to as microaggressions. They can be pernicious as they occur daily with rapidly accumulating effects. Think death by a thousand cuts. And since legal recourse is usually not available, it is important for women to recognize subtle discrimination and know how to deal with it effectively.

Being able to deal with it – by yourself or with others – is key to reducing the effect of gender bias. This is not to suggest that women alone are responsible for dealing with it, everyone needs to help, but it is important that women know they have effective techniques for exposing and reducing it. Three of the techniques I suggest (and there are many others in my book) are used in negotiation to neutralize competitive tactics. Competitive tactics are employed in negotiation to get the other side off centre and create an advantage for the user. Since gender bias can also provide an unfair advantage for the user, even when used unconsciously, strategies that counter such effects work well in this arena.

The three counter tactics are name it, question it and correct it. They all work to expose the bias and by so doing, reduce its effect. Naming relies on calling it. You might say for example, “This type of communication is common in this department. Why do you call me aggressive when I speak directly? This sounds like a double-standard.” Name the bias and challenge its use.

Questioning it places the responsibility on the person doing it to explain why they did it. If you have had enough of being mansplained (which costs the US economy $200 billion a year in lost productivity according to Shane Ferro in the Business Insider) you might ask the manplainer calmly, “What makes you think that I don’t understand this concept or this material?”  The intent here is to make the man explain (not mansplain) why he is treating you in a biased manner. It helps to shine a light on the irrational nature of the behavior.

A third counter tactic is to correct the bias by showing the disconnect between the facts and an action or decision based on bias. By using objective data, the bias will be revealed for what it is – incorrect and unfair, benefiting some and not all. This counter tactic has become very popular and is explained well in What Works by Iris Bohnet.

If you don’t feel comfortable using these techniques, some of the other techniques I suggest are less confrontational and involve others –  such as building alliances or questioning by third parties. Specific responses to interruptions and idea stealing are also discussed – including how to help others. Whichever techniques you use, the goal is to find those that work best for you in exposing and reducing gender bias.