Questions About Sexism During Job Interviews & How To Answer Them
Learn how to handle sexist questions during job interviews and in the workplace
In 2025, a woman can still hear sexist questions during the job interview and in the workplace. As the statistics shows, women are asked inappropriate questions three times more often than their men counterparts. These questions are about a woman's appearance, personal life, family plans, children, and more.
Unfortunately, workplace sexism exist, and such questions can embarrass any woman. Should you answer such questions, or interrupt the conversation and report to management? Today, we will explain how to respond to sexist comments and interview questions and how to evaluate the company before accepting a job offer.
What is workplace sexism?
Overall, sexism is the prejudice and discrimination on the basis of sex, assuming that one gender is superior to another one. For example, assuming that a woman is less suitable for a managerial position and promoting a man, or asking a woman if she has children during a job interview are examples of sexism and discrimination. In the extreme cases, sexism at work leads to such events as sexual harassment and violence.
Gender inequality has a negative impact on the whole society, preventing women from realizing their potential and fulfilling what they're capable of. According to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, any gender discrimination is illegal, and the offender can be held accountable.
Frequently asked sexist questions
Quite often, female job-seekers face sexism right at the interview stage. You might get asked questions about your personal life, children, appearance, future plans, and similar questions in relation to your gender. Here are the examples of such questions:
- Are you pregnant or are you planning on having children in the near future?
- As a woman, would you feel comfortable being a manager in a male-dominated environment?
- Do you prioritize your family or work?
- What does your husband/boyfriend do for a living?
- Will you follow your husband if he is offered a job in another state?
- Do you consider yourself a sensitive or anxious person?
- How do you feel about dating your boss?
- Would you mind flirting or dating the customers if it's necessary to close the deal?
- Why does a beautiful woman like you want to get a job of a Python developer?
- What is more important to you, your career progression or marriage with children?
When you asked one of the above, remember that you are not obliged to respond. Sexist questions violate the Federal and state laws as the potential employer is actually trying to discriminate you.
Some recruiters ask these questions without realizing they are inappropriate and sexist. Others do it intentionally due to their sense of prejudice or because they have a concern about your professional competencies. Here's how you can respond to such questions.
How to respond to sexist interview questions?
1. Stick to business-related topics
Don't be the first to mention any personal subjects. Restrain yourself from speaking about your personal circumstances, family life, love life, and so one. The recruiter might think that since you were the one who brought up the subject, it would be okay to find out more. Of course, this is not a guarantee that you won't be asked inappropriate questions. However, the chances of being discriminated decrease as you focus on discussing work-related issues.
2. Respond positively
If the question you are asked is not heavily sexist (for example, ‘Can you lead the all-men team?') the best idea is to come up with a neutral or positive response. The example question is relevant to your prospective job responsibilities; thus, you can use it to reiterate your professional strengths. If you persuade the interviewer that you possess the leadership abilities, strong communication skills and/or previous relevant experience, you'll get their question answered and probably no sexist questions will follow.
3. Ask how the question is relevant to the job
If you are asked a personal question like ‘Do you plan to get married?' Telegraph.co.uk recommends not to get angry straightaway. First, ask “Why is this information important?” As a rule, the majority of questions relevant to your personal life are asked with a view of evaluating your potential to contribute in the long run. Nevertheless, the company representative should give you a clear reason for asking private questions. If they are reluctant to do so, take it as a warning sign.
4. Stand up for yourself
If the recruiter keeps asking sexist questions, it's time to get more firm and confident. Wonder if they ask the same questions to the male applicants they interview. Or, admit that their questions make you feel uncomfortable and ask whether this is the standard procedure for an interview for this position. Remember that you don't have to ask the questions which are heavily sexist. Chances are that your confident approach will make the interviewer change their mind and the interview will continue on a professional note.
5. Highlight your professional attributes
Another way to respond to sexist questions is to answer “I wouldn't answer this question. However, I don't think this will influence my ability to do the job well.” If the person interviewing you keeps insisting, you can also specify that you believe in equality at the workplace and wonder if they know that this kind of questions is prohibited by a Federal law.
6. Don't get emotional
Even if you are a feminist who believes that the sole fact of asking sexist question is offensive; remember that giving an overly emotional response won't take you anywhere. It might happen that asking sexist questions might be a test to find out how you tackle an inappropriate questions (for example, in interview for a customer service position). So, whatever you are asked, the key is to be polite yet firm.
7. Evaluate the company's corporate culture
If you hear sexist questions during the interview and they don't sound like a test, think whether such a company is a good fit for you. If the person interviewing you believes that it's normal to ask ‘Why does such a beautiful young lady wants to work as a hardware engineer?' the company policy probably doesn't see nothing wrong in the issues of sexism. In this case, it's better to update your resume and look for a job elsewhere.
Unfortunately, the sexist questions during the job interviews aren't a rare situation. However, you can handle these situations with dignity and confidence and try to keep the conversation professional with no personal matters discussed. Also, don't forget that you don't have to answer sexist questions of any kind and if the person's behavior is totally inappropriate, you can report the sexual harassment.
Questions to ask the interviewer before accepting the job offer
A job interview is a two-way street, so you can and should evaluate the company culture before you start working there. Here are some questions to see if there is sexism and workplace inequality in the company:
- Do women get promoted or win awards as often as their male coworkers?
- Is the workplace designed to be comfortable for all genders?
- How does your organization help employees maintain a healthy work-life balance?
- Do women receive equal compensation with men in similar roles?
- Do you offer training to ensure workplace equality and prevent sexual harassment?
- Are there many female leaders in upper management?
- How would you describe your corporate culture?
For your inspiration: 5 famous women who handled an invasive question during the interview with brilliance
Many young women are asked intrusive, a bit misogynistic or even extremely sexist questions in the job interviews. They face double standards and are asked questions about their kids, body image, appearance and relationships all the time.
Let's take a look at five examples of how women celebrities gave a perfect response to inappropriate questions from reporters.
- At the Grammys in 2015, a reporter asked Taylor Swift if she was going to walk home with a man that night. The singer responded that she was going to “hang out with her friends and then go home to the cats”.
- A reporter asked Scarlett Johannsson about the type of underwear she wore during the acting process in Black Widow. She shut them down stating that “you are the fifth person who is asking me this” and then continued with more comments like “I'll leave it up to your imagination”.
- During the interview for the Spider Man film, Emma Stone noted that her movie partner was asked more “interesting, poignant questions” because he was a boy, and added a comment “It's sexism”.
- Anne Hathaway, a start of The Dark Knight Rises, a male reporter was trying to asked her a question about her fitness regime for a role – the same question that most women on the red carpet are asked. At one point, she fought him back, asking him the same question about fitness, implying that it's not only women's bodies that should be discussed.
- The interviewer asked pop star Ariana Grande if she would prefer going out without the cell phone or wearing makeup. She stroke back: “Are men assuming that girls would have to choose between?”
As you see, even the top celebrities that attend Hollywood Film Awards cannot completely avoid questions about private life and sexuality. Nicki Minaj, Hillary Clinton, Jennifer Garner, Blake Lively, Rihanna and many others had to respond to sexist comments instead of meaningful questions.
Have you been offered a job? Don't hurry up to take this offer. First, ask the eleven questions to determine whether this organization is the right fit for your personality and career goals.
Workplace discrimination of women based on their gender is still a reality in our society. Yet, if you faced sexist interview questions, don't be shy to stand out for yourself. Focus on your professional qualifications and what's expected from you at work, stay firm and confident, and be ready to fill a claim if you hear completely unacceptable questions.
Update your resume to get more interviews
Women who get many interview calls can choose the employer that is free from gender bias and offers them plenty of opportunities for professional growth. At ResumePerk, we can update your resume to focus on your professional qualifications and achievements to help you get noticed faster. Not sure if your resume needs an update? Use the free resume critique service to hear the opinion of a resume professional on the effectiveness of your resume.
Have you ever been asked the sexist questions during the interview? How did you respond to them?