Gender Blindness and the Persistence of the Gender Board Gap: A Study of the United Kingdom's (UK's) Retail Sector

This chapter examines the ongoing gender blindness and disparities in the United Kingdom's retail sector's boardroom, with Tesco as a focal point. Despite advancements in gender equality policies and strategies aimed at addressing the gender gap on boards, women continue to be significantly underrepresented in boardrooms and senior leadership roles. This case study explores the structural and systemic factors that contribute to this enduring ‘board gap,’ including gender bias, stereotypes, and corporate culture. It emphasises the concept of gender blindness, the failure to acknowledge gender- specific barriers, which hinders meaningful progress toward gender parity in the boardroom. By analysing data from the UK retail sector, this chapter examines the effectiveness of gender diversity initiatives and identifies shortcomings in policy implementation and cultural transformation.