What Men And Women Really Think About Gender Equality In The Workplace
Elle magazine teamed up with the Center for American Progress to survey men and women about what they think about climbing the ladder, having a life, speaking up and being the boss.
In short, both sexes agree that women are still discriminated against when it comes to salary, but differ in their view of how much progress has been made.
Below, we've compiled the key results.
On speaking up:
It takes time to find your voice. More than half of men (58%) and women (51%) said they speak "all the time" or "frequently" during meetings. The more work experience they have, the more comfortable they are at speaking. While only one-third of entry-level workers said they speak up, three-quarters of higher-ups said they do.
On asking for a raise:
Astonishingly, 53% of women have never asked for a raise compared to 40% of men. Fortunately, the survey found that both genders became gutsier with experience and were more willing to ask for a raise later in their careers. Fear not: Among those who asked for more money when starting a new job, 89% were successful.
On salary:
Both sexes believe that men have an advantage when it comes to pay (and women even more so): 31% of women think they'd be paid more if they were male, and 20% of men said they'd be paid less if they were female.
On maternity leave:
A high percentage of both men (80%) and women (87%) support maternity leave. Companies with more than 50 employees are federally required to offer three months of maternity leave, but the Family and Medical Leave Act doesn't require that the time be paid.
On flextime:
Flextime is attractive for both men and women: 52% said they would take flextime if it were offered, and among those given the chance, 86% have accepted it.
On the perception of women:
According to the study, half of men and two-thirds of women think that "women are scrutinized more harshly than men" in the workplace.
On equal rights:
Although 81% of men agreed that public policy should address challenges such as "equal pay, paid sick leave, and paid maternity leave," the majority of them also think that the "country has made most of the changes needed to give women equal rights."
On the other hand, only 29% of women agreed that the government has done all that it can.
On why there are so few women business leaders:
Both men (46%) and women (51%) think that family is the main reason why there aren't more women business leaders. Fifty-five percent of women said that they are discriminated against, whereas only 33% of men think this is the case. The survey found that 28% of women admitted to experiencing discrimination in the workplace.
A similar percentage of men (35%) and women (34%) said that women aren't "tough enough" to be in those top positions.
On work-life balance:
The same percentage (61%) of men and women said that employers don't make it easy to balance work and family life.
Nearly half of mothers and fathers (48% and 45%, respectively) said they would prefer to work at home, if possible.
Unsurprisingly, the survey found that men (56%) are more likely than women (39%) to put work ahead of family to climb the career ladder.