Bias in the Workplace

 

 

 

Women in large numbers believe they face disadvantages in the workplace, including lower pay than men and other forms of discrimination.  

Decades after women began flooding into the workforce, 84% of women say men are paid more for similar work, a view borne out by government data but which draws agreement from only two-thirds of men.  More than four in 10 women say they have faced gender discrimination personally, most often in the workplace. Both findings are little changed from a 1997 survey.

But despite the perceived challenges in the workplace, a growing number of women say they can strike a balance between work and home life.  The share who say most women can't "have it all'' without making a lot of sacrifices at work and at home has fallen from 78% in 1997 to 66% today.

The poll of 1,000 adults, conducted April 5-8, reflects a current robust debate about women in the workforce. Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, is urging them in a new book to "lean in"—to stop holding back their ambitions and to work harder to overcome barriers.

Younger women, in particular, are less inclined to agree that they can't have both a work and home life without making many sacrifices, with 38% of those aged 18-34 saying they disagree with that statement, compared with 31% aged 35-54 and 32% of those older than 55.

Men diverge little from women on the ability of women to balance work and home lives, but they are less likely than women to see discrimination in the workplace.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2013

 Sheryl Sandberg: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

 John Agno: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women

 Barbara A. McEwen: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women--Workbook Edition

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