Leadership

A Quarter of Women Report Workplace Discrimination

By Jessica Stillman

Updated on: August 11, 2008 / 6:10 PM EDT / MoneyWatch

The Find: When CareerBuilder.com asked nearly 4,000 American women if they felt they have equal opportunities for career advancement compared to men, 26 percent said no.
The Source: A recent CareerBuilder.com survey.

The Takeaway: It may have been a break-through year for women in politics, but when CareerBuilder.com asked Harris Interactive to poll nearly 8,000 U.S. employees about their feelings on discrimination in the workplace, they found that all is not right between the sexes at the office. Slightly more than one third (34 percent) of women surveyed feel then are paid less than men with equal qualifications and experience. Eleven percent of men claimed they are paid less than their female counterparts.
Whatever glass ceilings may have been shattered elsewhere, this figure remains basically unchanged since the last time the poll was taken two years ago. In addition, a quarter of female workers say they have fewer opportunities for career advancement opportunities than men with the same skills and qualifications. 18 percent say they get less training than the boys and 17 percent say they are not afforded the same degree of workplace flexibility.
The survey also revealed that the level to which women perceived workplace discrimination varied by industry. Industries in which women have traditionally played a large role such as health care, hospitality and education, had fewer female workers who felt they were treated differently because of their gender. The number of women in IT and banking and financial services reporting discrimination was near the average. Manufacturing, retail and professional business services would seem to harbor more than average discriminatory behavior based on the CareerBuilder results.
The Question: A thoroughly unscientific BNET poll: do you believe you have equal opportunities for career advancement compared to the opposite sex? (Commenters please indicate your gender and your industry).

(Image of woman at work, 1942, by Alfred Palmer via pingnews.com, CC 2.0)