A global survey conducted annually by the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN) among over 33,000 respondents in 39 countries (of which 1000 are in the UK), reveals gender gap perceptions in the workplace.
In 2019, 62 per cent of men and 55 per cent of women believed that gender equality had been achieved in the workplace. Today, an increasing 68 per cent of men and a stagnant 56 per cent of women hold this belief. Overall, the perception of gender equality in the workplace appears to have risen from 58 per cent in 2019 to 62 per cent now, but with it, the increasing divide between men’s and women’s views has also become more pronounced.
The latest data also shows that salary perception has changed in the last couple of years. In 2022, 21 per cent of women in the UK thought that their salaries were lower than men’s; this number has now increased to 34 per cent. Conversely, more than half of men think that women’s salaries are equal to, or higher than, theirs.
Discrepancies also arise when talking about job opportunities: 43 per cent of women feel like they have fewer opportunities, while only 26 per cent of men agree.
“We’re seeing signs of improvement, but there’s still a long way to go,” says Vilma Scarpino, President at WIN “the strong divide in perceptions between men and women signals a deep disconnect and lack of conversation around this topic which should be addressed by individual organisations and the government alike.”