099: Breaking Gender Myths and Barriers at Work with Emma Eccles and Dr Abbey Atkinson

Summary

In this episode, Sandra speaks with Dr Abbey Atkinson and Emma Eccles about breaking gender myths and barriers at work, and why many of the conversations around women’s careers still feel surprisingly familiar.

Together, they explore the hidden assumptions that continue to shape progression in corporate environments.

Emma shares her journey of becoming one of the first part-time partners, challenging the idea that flexibility means reduced ambition or lower value. She reflects on the comments she received after becoming pregnant at 29, and why she refused to delay either her career or her family plans to fit outdated expectations.

Abbey brings insights from her PhD research into gender imbalance and organisational culture, unpacking concepts such as tokenism, hypervisibility, and the pressure women often feel to change themselves in order to fit leadership environments designed around traditional norms.

Sandra, Abbey and Emma also discuss:

• Why assumptions are one of the biggest blockers to female progression
• The “Queen Bee” effect and why some women struggle to challenge systems they had to survive themselves
• Why organisations need to stop “fixing women” and start redesigning systems
• How flexibility is not about doing less, but doing work differently
• Why role models matter, especially male role models when they show vulnerability and authenticity
• And why the future of work must be designed around humans, not outdated structures

This is an honest conversation about culture, leadership, ambition, and what it really takes to create workplaces where people do not feel they need to shrink themselves in order to succeed.

Key Takeaways

• Flexibility does not mean reduced ambition or commitment.
• Organisations often lack imagination when designing roles around real life.
• Women frequently adapt their behaviour to fit workplace expectations.
• Leadership should not require people to change who they are.
• Diverse organisations create stronger ideas, better culture, and better outcomes.
• Vulnerability and authenticity from senior leaders create psychological safety.

About the Guests

Connect with Emma Eccles on LinkedIn.

Emma is a Partner at Waightmans specialising in large loss litigation and is a passionate advocate for flexible working and inclusive leadership.

Connect with Dr Abbey Atkinson on LinkedIn.

Abbey is founder of Insight Change and a researcher specialising in gender imbalance, workplace culture, and organisational change.

About the Host

Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn

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