Four-fifths (79%) of male employees believe men and women are paid equally, compared with only 55% of women, according to research by HR platform HiBob.
Its UK women professionals in the workplace 2024 report, which surveyed 2,000 employees, also highlighted that just one in 10 (11%) men believe they are paid more than women, while 31% of women share this view.
Despite 93% of both men and women feeling confident in their work performance, 33% of women were not promoted in pay, benefits or position in 2023, compared to 25% of men. Women are twice (36%) as likely than men (17%) to believe that male employees are promoted more often or quicker than women in their organisation, while only 31% of UK workers thought their employer was making efforts to improve salary transparency.
More women (23%) than men (9%) reported being made to feel uncomfortable or less qualified at work because of their gender. Of those women who experienced this, 40% reported incidents every few months and 22% quite often.
In addition, 54% of women said that having children has had a negative impact of career progression compared to 33% of men. One-third (31%) of men thought that children have a positive impact on career progression, compared to 19% of women.
Nirit Peled-Muntz, chief people officer at HiBob, said: “Despite women remaining confident at work, the data from our third annual report is clear, there is still a way to go to achieve gender equality. To enact real, tangible change in 2024, employers need to make strategic plans and take action to support female parity in the workplace. This includes eliminating pay and promotion gaps, establishing female leadership mentoring schemes and rooting out gender biases by investing in education for staff.
“Additionally, when considering that women make up half the workforce, many realise that fair pay is a business issue. It is a fact that happy people who are paid fairly are more likely to stay and thrive, and in the competitive talent landscape, this is essential. People are an organisation’s most valuable asset. Treating them right is good business practice.”