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Overcoming gender bias in Estonian work culture
The project is created as a part of the global Student Service Design Challenge.
2025
Brief
The design, development and delivery of services are often filled with biases. As a result, they may exclude people and cause harm.
Solution overview
With our research and final solution, we aim to empower society to overcome biases, raise awareness about the impact of gender stereotypes and foster greater equality and inclusivity in Estonia’s labor market.
Hypothesis
Research methods
Gender discrimination is a key factor contributing to the wage gap in Estonia.
Research questions:
1. What are the current viewpoints on the differences between men’s and women’s work culture?
2. How does the hiring process differ by gender? What effect does having a child have on hiring decisions?
3. How does having a child affect men’s and women’s wages?
Our research combines qualitative and quantitative methods:
Insights
During interviews with various stakeholders, we got validation that the gender discrimination issue is one of the main causes for wage gap in Estonia.
Our key findings reflect that many leaders and male employees overlook gender inequality and its impact, despite diversity boosting company's profitability. Interviews confirmed hiring biases and gender-driven wage gaps in Estonia.
Next steps
We’ll be focusing on further researching the gaps in awareness, leadership perspectives, and legal frameworks around hiring discrimination.
To gather input from our potential service users, we'll be conducting a co-creation workshop as the next milestone.
The project is still work in progress...