Research: Gender pay gap perceptions
The study of 28-countries found that Britons are among those least likely to prioritise tackling the gender pay gap right now as society rebuilds from the Covid-19 pandemic, even though they are, on the whole, sympathetic to the need to address the gender pay gap.
Key findings
- A majority (54%) say concerns about the gender pay gap are a response to a real problem, but nearly one in five (18%) think they’re an example of political correctness going too far. By 48% to 61%, men are less likely than women to see such concerns as a response to a genuine problem.
- One in 10 Britons say they think reports about the gender pay gap in the media are fake news – compared with 44% who think such reports are telling the truth. One in seven (15%) men believe such reports are fake news, more than double the proportion of women who say the same (6%).
- The majority support greater transparency over pay, with 54% saying that people should have the right to know what other colleagues doing the same work are paid – more than double the 23% who disagree. 50% of men and 59% of women support this proposal.
Across the 28 countries surveyed, 40% of people say more flexible working practices, such as working from home or part-time, are one of the most important things to help ensure the recovery from Covid-19 addresses issues facing women – the top answer given by both men and women.
