Unequal Perceptions

In anticipation of International Women’s Day tomorrow, the HR platform HiBob has published a report highlighting the different perceptions held by women and men about equality at work.  

The report – the third annual UK Women Professionals in the Workplace survey - found that only 30 per cent of women received pay raises in 2023 compared to 34 per cent of men.  Yet 70 per cent of men said that they believed that women and men were promoted equally within their company, compared to 55 per cent of women.   

When asked whether a colleague had made them feel uncomfortable or less qualified in the workplace because of their gender, 90 per cent of men disagreed. However, that figure dropped to 77 per cent among women.  

With regards to the issue of pay parity, the issue of a pay gap between men and women persists as a major issue of concern. While 66 per cent of respondents overall said that they believed that men and women were paid equally, this rose to 79 per cent among men. Only 58 per cent of women, on the other hand, reported that they felt they were being paid equally to men for doing the same job at their company.  

In terms of trying to improve salary transparency, only 23 per cent of respondents overall reported that their organisation published information about salaries. Women reported less transparency (21 per cent) compared to men (25 per cent).    

The platform surmises that this discrepancy may stem from a lack of transparency in salary information, given that close to one third (29 per cent) of respondents reported that their organisations did not publish salary information and ranges for job descriptions.  

In terms of women-specific benefits (such as a pumping room or a room for breastfeeding), 27 per cent of respondents were unsure if their companies offered them or not. This was a reduction from the previous year when it was 30 per cent. According to HiBob, this improvement suggests a growing awareness and understanding of the benefits aimed at creating a more equitable workplace. However, as it points out, there is still progress to be made, given that 20 per cent of respondents stated that their companies did not offer women-specific benefits.  

The UK Women Professionals in the Workplace 2024 survey took place over January 2024 and provided insights from an audience of 2000 respondents.  Of the respondents, 59 per cent were female, while 41 per cent were male.  

To read the report in more detail click here