Nearly four in 10 working women (38%) feel they are paid less than their male counterparts with the same skills and experience, up from 34% who felt this way in 2008, according to CareerBuilder.com. A similar percentage of women (39%) think men have more career advancement opportunities within their organizations, up from 26% in 2008.
Women may be justified in feeling underappreciated at work. They are significantly less likely than men to earn $50,000 or more a year (24% vs. 45%) or $100,000 or more (3% vs. 10%). Four in 10 women (40%) report earning $35,000 or less, compared to 24% of men.
Women are less likely than men to hold managerial positions (21% vs. 30%) and more likely to work in clerical or administrative jobs (49% vs. 25%).
What Men Think
Most men believe there are inequalities in pay or career opportunities for men and women. More than eight in 10 men (84%) feel men and women with the same qualifications are paid the same, and 77% believe career advancement opportunities are equal. Almost two in 10 men (18%) say women receive more recognition for their accomplishments than men do within their organizations.
Women attribute differences in salary and career advancement to a belief that they don’t “schmooze with management” as much as men (35%), or to favoritism on the part of supervisors (22%), or to the fact that their male counterparts have been with the company longer (16%).
Source: CareerBuilder, Jennifer Grasz, 200 N. LaSalle St., #1100, Chicago, IL 60601; 773-527-1164; jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com; www.careerbuilder.com.
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