Gender inequality divide: Do men need to open their eyes to the problem this IWD?

In advance of International Women’s Day (IWD) a new survey reveals that far fewer men than women believe that female employees face any gender-based inequality in New Zealand workplaces.

The survey of 174 New Zealand men and women by recruiting experts Hays also found that while men still dominate senior roles there is almost no difference in female and male ambition for such roles.

It found:

* 88 per cent of men think there is equal pay between genders compared to 54 per cent of women.

* 86 per cent of men said the same career opportunities are open to equally capable colleagues regardless of gender compared to 58 per cent of women.

* 83 per cent of all respondents, both men and women, said the most senior person within their organisation is male and 63 per cent said that their line manager is also male.

* Yet female and male ambition for management and director roles is nearly identical. 45 per cent of women and 47 per cent of men aspire to reach director or MD/CEO level.

* But only 41 per cent of women feel they have the opportunity to self-promote and communicate their ambitions in the workplace, compared to 69 per cent of men.

* Meanwhile just 30 per cent of women and 39 per cent of men said their organisation has formal gender diversity policies and practices in place.

“We have a lot to celebrate here in New Zealand on International Women’s Day, but many Kiwis would argue that progress towards workplace gender equality can still be hindered today by people, more often than not men, who fail to see any problem,” says Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand.

“According to the New Zealand Stock Exchange’s 2015 gender diversity statistics, the number of female directors has increased by only five per cent since 2013 from 12.4 per cent to 17 per cent in 2015. Given that the majority of people in executive and senior management roles are still men, it’s difficult to see how gender parity can be accelerated when many of those in positions of influence do not see any inequality issue to begin with.

“It’s interesting that there is little difference between male and female ambition for reaching senior positions. But being able to promote your achievements is a key part of successful career development and reaching such roles. When only half of women feel they have the opportunity to self-promote and communicate their ambitions, employers must do more to ensure opportunities are communicated to all and recognise and draw out the skills and ambitions of those around them.”

The 2016 IWD theme is ‘pledging for parity’. This year IWD calls for everyone, both men and women, “to pledge to take a concrete step to help achieve gender parity more quickly”i.

What steps can we take? According to Hays employers should encourage female ambition, focus on employee self-promotion and implement and communicate gender diversity policies.

Hays is an organisation known for supporting the advancement of women in the workplace, and has released several reports on how employers can create a diverse workforce.

Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

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