Bogotá, April 2026. Despite the advances in inclusion, women in Bogotá continue to encounter barriers that men don't experiment. probing questions about private life and a unequal distribution of household chores are some of the obstacles daily routines that, according to the most recent Gender Survey of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá (CCB), not only affect access to work, but also They deteriorate mental health and slow down work development.

The results of the study carried out on 14,008 people reveal critical gender barriers in the workplace because 70.9% of women reported having been questioned about their children or plans maternity leave during job interviews.

In fact, close to 26% of Bogota women have faced explicit obstacles to accessing employment for this reason. This The situation is aggravated by discriminatory practices such as the requirement of proof of pregnancy for hiring, a reality that has affected 57.2% of surveyed women.

Caregiving Responsibilities

Inequality begins at home because in the Bogotá homes, 81.4% of women actively participate in food preparation and 75.5% assume cleaning duties, while in For men, this participation barely touches 50%. This domestic overload directly impacts their professional careers since 42.1% of citizens with dependents point out that care tasks make their progress, a figure that doubles the male perception on the same issue.

Gender violence

The social environment also presents alerts red because 43.4% of women perceive sexual harassment towards minors as a frequent situation in their environment. Added to this is that 25.5% reports having suffered specifically motivated physical or verbal attacks because of their gender. Despite the seriousness of these events, confidence in the institutions is minimal since only 15.3% of the victims have formalized a report to the competent authorities.

Mental health and support networks

The combination of employment discrimination, Salary disparity and domestic overload take a toll on emotional well-being. The survey reveals that 31.4% of women report symptoms of anxiety and tension, compared to 20.1% in men. Likewise, the feeling of sadness profound or despair affects 27.3% of the female population and exceeds significantly the 18.7% recorded in their male peers. Before these crisis, the family network continues to be the main refuge for 61% of women who are looking for help.

Financial inclusion

Economic autonomy continues to be limited by the access and technical knowledge. In the banking system, women register use of debit cards 6.9 percentage points less than men and 4.3 points below in credit. This gap deepens in the management of key concepts for decision making since only 32.9% of women claims to understand, for example, interest rates compared to 42% of the male population.

Digital divide and cutting-edge tools

Access to technology presents obstacles structural since 31.7% of those surveyed stated that they did not use computers in your daily life. Added to this limitation is that 44.8% of the female population does not use artificial intelligence applications compared to greater male participation in this field. Finally, key platforms for business growth, such as e-commerce and applications financial, are perceived as the most difficult for women to manage in Bogota.

Social participation and leadership

The survey also sheds light on the perception of leadership in the immediate environment, where men report a greater ease in positioning themselves as leaders in their communities. In In contrast, women identify structural obstacles that hold back their civic and political incidence, which translates into a gap of 11.4 points percentages in confidence to assume representative roles.

I am Capable, an initiative for change

As a direct response to this diagnosis, the CCB presented the Soy Capaz community, an ecosystem for women to have tools to succeed in the business world, with monthly spaces of strengthening capacities that allow reducing gaps, especially when there are inequitable care burdens.

"The results of the survey tell us force us to redouble efforts not only to empower women, but to transform business culture and promote an open mind to equity. With Soy Capaz we strengthen female leadership to eliminate those biases that today limit the potential of organizations," said Ovidio Claros Polanco, president of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce.

With this launch, the Chamber reaffirms its commitment to a city where talent is the only measure of success, removing obstacles that prevent women from achieving their full potential potential.