One in six workers in the UK believes that men and women are treated differently in the workplace, research finds.
According to the annual Attitudes to Work study of 460 employees by IFF Research, some 12 per cent believe men are treated better than women at work, with 5 per cent finding that women are treated better than men.
While 15 per cent of females believe men are treated better than women in the workplace, only 1 per cent believe the reverse to be true.
Men, however, are just as likely to see themselves as the beneficiaries of discrimination as the victims, with 10 per cent believing men are treated better than women and 9 per cent agreeing that women come out better than men.
Jan Shury, joint managing director at IFF Research says, ‘We are seeing a stark gender divide among those who think discrimination exists. What’s even more interesting is the form in which people think discrimination takes place as this also differs greatly between the sexes.’
Shury adds that men are seen as having an advantage in remuneration and career progression, whereas women are seen to be ahead in terms of how they are treated at a more personal level. Of those who believe male employees are treated better than females, 47 per cent say men are more likely to be promoted, 38 per cent think men are paid more and 26 per cent believe men are treated with more respect.
Among those who think women are treated better than men, though, the most commonly cited reason is that women are treated with greater lenience than men – for example 46 per cent believe they find it easier to get time off or are punished less if they make mistakes. Only 22 per cent believe women are more likely to be promoted.
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