Goldbeck Recruiting celebrates International Women’s Day by recognizing our many female clients, placed candidates, and, last but not least, staff members. Leading up to the annual observance, our team gathered to discuss the role that gender plays in recruiting and hiring in 2025—what has changed, what hasn’t, and how best to approach the situation.

Gender Bias in Hiring

While certain industries, such as construction, engineering, and project management, remain male-dominated, our Senior Recruiter, Reiniell Gan, observes that an increasing number of hiring companies are seeking balance. Gan was recently asked to present strong female candidates for a role in construction and architecture.

“I believe it was a practical decision,” says Gan. “They wanted a different perspective in a male-dominated industry.”1

Senior Recruiter Karen Epp is often asked to help clients balance their teams. “I get comments like, ‘We only have one woman in the office; we should hire a second one,’” she says.

On the other hand, some businesses only want to hire women.

“I had a small business client recently with an office consisting of two women,” says Senior Recruiter Vanessa Cox. “They wanted to add a third because they thought a woman would get along better in that atmosphere than a man.”

Gan has observed something of a catch-22 at play in certain situations, where male-dominated industries perpetuate themselves.

“I think some clients would prefer to hire women to add balance to their software engineering teams but end up mostly interviewing men because it’s easier to find experienced male candidates.”

Companies Hesitant to Hire Mothers

While it has become much less common to say so outright, many employers still hesitate to hire women because they believe childcare responsibilities could interfere with job performance.

Senior Recruiter Jessica Miles recently recruited for a role that required a rigid 7 a.m. in-office start time. In this case, it was a male candidate who declined the position.

“His wife had just started her dream job, and he was responsible for daycare drop-off and pickup,” she says. Miles sees this as the exception, not the rule. “Let’s be honest—women still do a lot of the caregiving,” she says.

Cox recently presented a highly qualified candidate who was returning from maternity leave. The client had concerns.

“They wanted to know if she would be completely dedicated to the position,” she recalls. “They said they’d been burned in that situation before.”

Miles acknowledges that not every role is suitable for every candidate, particularly when it comes to in-office or travel requirements.

“I prefer it when candidates are upfront with me,” she says. “Honesty is the best policy for candidates.”

Flexibility and Work-Life Balance: A Welcome Development

Recent years have seen an increase in remote and hybrid work arrangements. Work-life balance has become a priority. For some employers, it’s about energizing their employees for maximum productivity. For others, it’s simply about remaining competitive in the recruitment market.

Several of our own staff reflected on their earlier working lives and how they would have benefitted from such flexibility.

“There were times when I had no choice but to bring my kids to the office,” recalls Cox. “Having flexibility and a hybrid model back then would have been amazing. I mean, the kids had fun, but it was still a lot.”

“I wish it had been 20 years ago,” echoes Epp. “That would have made a night-and-day difference for me.”

Miles is pleased to see many employers offering more female- and family-friendly health benefits.

“Many women can use their healthcare spending on breast pumps, orthotics for shoes, and speech therapy for their children,” she notes.

Female Candidates Are Suitable for Any Position

Ultimately, the role of a good recruiting agency is to present the most qualified and talented candidates to clients while still being cognizant of their preferences.

Senior Recruiter Alessia Pagliaroli sometimes finds herself balancing these two aspects.

“If you listen to your clients’ needs, you can put a different thought in their head while making them feel understood at the same time,” she says.

Goldbeck Recruiting President Henry Goldbeck has observed a shift in attitudes, which he attributes not to social pressure but to clearer thinking.

“We deal with a lot of small- and medium-sized employers,” says Goldbeck. “They’re not mandated to hit diversity targets; they’re just more open-minded than they were 20 years ago.”

Epp knows from experience that female candidates are suitable for any position.

“I’ve heard comments saying that women don’t have the tough skin that men do, but all of my female colleagues certainly do,” she says.

“There’s no easy answer to gender equality—and equality in general—but being aware of your biases is the first step,” adds Miles.

Cited Sources

1 Direct communication with Goldbeck Recruiting staff