Sex and Gender Employment Guide

Your sex or gender identity should never limit your career. This guide helps you find inclusive employers, understand your rights, and take practical steps to build a career that reflects who you are.

Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and able to thrive at work – whoever they are.

Sex and gender discrimination at work

Discrimination affects people in different ways.

Sex discrimination happens when someone is treated unfairly because of their sex. This might relate to pay, promotion, recruitment or workplace culture.

Gender identity discrimination includes unfair treatment because you're transgender or don’t identify with the sex assigned to you at birth.

We recommend learning more about the rights you have under the Equality Act 2010. A good starting point for this is:

• Equality and Human Rights Commission – sex discrimination

• Equality and Human Rights Commission – gender reassignment discrimination

What to look for in an inclusive employer

Before applying for a job, check how seriously an employer takes equality and inclusion.

Look for the signs that an organisation values diversity through:

• gender equality statements or values on their website

• staff support networks, like women’s or LGBTQIA+ groups

• visible commitment to inclusion through campaigns, partnerships or events

• if they publish gender pay gap data

• if they’ve signed up to “Show the Salary”

You can also find employers through the following resources:

Opportunities that focus on gender inclusion

Some employers run events or programmes to encourage applications from underrepresented groups. These opportunities can help you build confidence, meet employers, and understand your options.

Explore these initiatives:

• STEM Women – events for women in science, tech, engineering and maths

• Future Female Engineers – connect with recruiters and build networks in engineering

• IT’s not just for the boys – tech events for women exploring the digital sector

• DiversCity in Law – insight event for LGBTQIA+ students interested in legal careers

Career progression and pay

Your career can grow in many ways – through graduate schemes, mentoring, or gaining experience in your current role. But unfortunately, progression isn’t always equal.

The gender pay gap shows that women still earn less than men on average. It’s not about being paid less for the same work (that’s illegal) – it’s about systemic issues like:

• fewer women in senior roles

• part-time work due to caring responsibilities

• barriers in recruitment, promotion and reward processes

What to tell an employer

You do not have to share your sex or gender identity when applying for a job. Many employers now use blind recruitment, removing names and personal details from applications to reduce bias.

You may be asked to complete a diversity monitoring form as part of your application. This is confidential and not shared with hiring managers, but you can always choose “prefer not to say.”

If you’re transgender or non-binary

You do not have to tell your employer you’re transgender. However, if you would prefer to share your gender identity, it’s your choice when and how to do so. You might:

• mention it during the application if you feel it shows resilience or lived experience

• wait until you’re in the role

• decide not to share it at all – and that’s valid too

Good employers will support your decisions, respect your identity, and have clear policies to make the workplace inclusive.

Support organisations and networks

If you experience discrimination or want advice, there’s help available. These organisations support people based on sex, gender identity, or both:

How the Careers and Employability Service can help

We’re here to help you feel confident and informed when making career decisions. We can support you to:

• explore inclusive employers

• research sectors and roles that align with your values

• strengthen your CV, LinkedIn profile and applications

• prepare for interviews

• talk through if, when and how to disclose your identity

Book a one-to-one appointment, attend a workshop, or check out our online resources. We’ll support you at every step.