With my professional milestone of 10 years in the mortgage industry rapidly approaching in February, it’s only natural that I started to reflect on the humble beginnings of my career in mortgage lending. However, despite how much the mortgage industry has changed and grown over the last decade, it’s hard not to think about how gender bias in our space continues to exist, and we as an industry have not really been forced to take a hard look at this issue and make a shift towards a better future.
Why in the year 2023 does the mortgage industry continue to fall behind and allow sexism, misogyny, and gender bias to still pervade our space?
An Accountability Problem
I recently had the experience of attending an industry conference that had a separate women’s luncheon. This luncheon was put on by a women’s industry group which had been formed within the last year in an effort to connect women in the industry so that we could find mentorship, mentor others and ultimately work to address the issues women continue to face in our space. I viewed this as a great opportunity to network, hear from a notable female speaker and simply enjoy the chance to get to know my female industry peers over a nice meal.