20% of HR Managers Admit to Gender Pay Gap

More than half of workers (55%) do not believe men and women are paid equally for the same job, and a similar proportion (51%) do not feel men and women are given the same career advancement opportunities, according to a CareerBuilder survey.

A significant number of employers agree with 20% of human resource managers who admit that women do not make the same wages as their male counterparts at their organizations.

Taking a closer look at pay comparisons, men were nearly three times as likely to report earning six figures (14% of men vs. 5% of women) and nearly twice as likely to earn $50,000 or more(49% vs. 25%). Women were twice as likely to report earning less than $35,000 (47% of women vs. 23% of men).

Survey results confirm that women feel inequality to a greater extent than men—only 35% of women believe there’s equal pay (compared to 56% of men) and 39% of women say there are equal opportunities for advancement (compared to 60% of men).

However, younger workers (men and women) believe they’re closer to parity. When asked if they believe men and women are on equal footing in the workplace:

  • Ages 18 to 24: 61% said yes;
  • Ages 25 to 34: 50% said yes;
  • Ages 35 to 44: 40% said yes;
  • Ages 45 to 54: 46% said yes; and
  • Ages 55 and older: 46% said yes.

Survey results call in to question whether women want equal advancement opportunities. Women are less likely than men to say they want their boss’ job (19% of women vs. 27% of men). Two-thirds of women (65%) said they don’t aspire to be in a leadership position compared to 58% of men.

The survey also found 64% of women say they’re satisfied or very satisfied with their job overall, and nearly the same proportion of men (63%) say the same. When asked what keeps them satisfied in their jobs, men and women had similar answers. Liking the people they work with (73% of women and 64% of men) topped the list, followed by having a good work/life balance (both 59%), liking their boss (53% of women and 47% of men) and benefits (42% of women and 48% of men). Fifth on the list is where results vary: While women say “feeling valued/accomplishments are recognized” (42%), men say “salary” (47%).

More than 3,200 workers and more than 220 human resource managers in the private sector across industries participated in the nationwide survey, conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from November 4 and December 1, 2015.

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