Almost twice as many men make $50,000 or more: Survey
Twenty-two per cent of female workers said they feel they are paid less than their male counterparts with the same skills and experience and 30 per cent of female workers feel men have more career advancement opportunities, according to a survey of 550 Canadian employees by CareerBuilder.ca.
The differences are also apparent when it comes to actual salaries: 43 per cent of men reported they make $50,000 or more, compared to 25 per cent of women. Four per cent of men make $100,000 or more, compared to just two per cent of women. On the other end of the pay scale, 44 per cent of women reported they make $35,000 or less compared to 25 per cent of men.
"While many companies are working toward greater equality in all measures of the workplace, a significant disparity still exists," said Rosemary Haefner, vice-president of human resources at CareerBuilder. "Workers in general are more aware of average compensation levels. They are also more vocal about shortcomings they believe exist when it comes to their pay and title, especially coming off of a recession when workloads and hours largely increased."
In terms of upward mobility, 21 per cent of men surveyed said they hold a management position compared to 19 per cent of women. Nearly one-half (49 per cent) of women said they are in clerical or administrative roles compared to 27 per cent of men.
Twenty-three per cent of women also reported men receive more recognition for their accomplishments than women within their organizations, found CareerBuilder.ca.
Three-in-ten women (31 per cent) attributed the disparity in pay and career advancement to the fact they don't rub elbows or schmooze with management as much as men. Seventeen per cent said it was a case of management showing favouritism to the opposite sex while 24 per cent acknowledged their male counterparts had been with the company longer.
From the male point of view, 86 per cent of men feel men and women with the same qualifications are paid the same within their organizations and 81 per cent believe the career advancement opportunities are equal for both genders, found the survey.
Five per cent of men said they feel they are paid less than their female counterparts and 10 per cent of men feel women have more career advancement opportunities. Eight per cent of men said women receive more recognition for their accomplishments than men do within their organizations.
When asked what annoyed them most about the opposite sex in the office, men said women tend to gossip or become too emotional or sensitive, found CareerBuilder.ca. Women said men can be too arrogant, say inappropriate comments and don't take female co-workers seriously.
