28 Mar Bias by the box-load
By Charlotte Butler, Managing Director, Altogether Different True story A couple of years ago I heard a tale of bias so stark, so unbelievable, it almost made me spit my tea across the room with laughter. The story goes like this. The year was 2016, an accountancy firm sent their client, a team at a bank, a thank you present at the end of the year. The men received blue boxes, the women, pink. Each pink box revealed a bottle of wine and those women who drank wine were delighted. But wait! What had been sent to each of the men? That’s right – three bottles of wine! The gender pay gap played out in seasonal gift booze. A clerical error was suspected, but further investigation revealed that no, this was the intended gift. The thinking? ‘Men drink more than women’. An awkward afternoon in the bank ensued. A comedic example, but...