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Survey: Most People Think Men And Women Are Being Paid Equally

This article is more than 8 years old.

It's tough to escape news of the gender pay gap. But according to data released this week by job search and salary comparison site Glassdoor, seven out of 10 people surveyed actually believe that men and women are being paid equally.

The survey was conducted online, among 8,254 adults over the age of 18 in Canada, Switzerland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. by Harris Poll for Glassdoor. Responses were collected from adults employed full or part-time, between October 1st and 5th, 2015.

Further, almost nine out of 10 people in all countries surveyed believe that women should be paid equally to men for comparable work. (Americans favor this most fervently, at 93%.) Essentially, those surveyed seem to favor wage parity--but they also seem to believe that it currently exists.

It's not just employees facing confusion about whether they're being compensated unfairly. Sources disagree on the nature and severity--and in some cases, the existence--of the gender pay gap. The oft-cited Census Bureau Statistic that women earn 77 or 78 cents for each dollar a man earns has been called into question in the past by those who've noted that the figure does not correct for variations, such as hourly work or marital status, which can alter the comparison significantly.

Last year my colleague Susan Adams reported on data from the Institute for Women's Policy Research that predicted women wouldn't reach wage parity with men until 2058. The Glassdoor study cites the World Economic Forum's prediction that wage equality is still 81 years away.

But while a majority--65 and 70%, respectively--of women in the U.S. and Canada believe they're being compensated fairly against their coworkers, those figures seem less promising when you consider that the same numbers are each eight percentage points higher for men.

Additionally, within their own organizations workers are also more likely to believe they're being compensated fairly. Overall 70% of U.S. employees believe workers are being paid fairly at their company. When broken down by gender, however, the numbers look a little different: 78% of men believe men and women are being paid equally for equal work at their company, compared to just 60% of women.

Employers reading this data should probably take note of one statistic in particular: Three out of five employees surveyed said they would not apply to a job where they believe a gender pay disparity exists. Women around the world are less likely to apply such a job, with 81% of American women reporting they'd shy away. In the U.S., U.K., and Canada, younger workers are less likely to apply to a company they believe is paying men and women differently.

That information becomes even more relevant for employers in light of President Obama's recent attempt to shed more light on wage issues by proposing that the Department of Labor "annually collect summary pay data by gender, race, and ethnicity from businesses with 100 or more employees."

But ultimately, Americans demonstrate more faith that corporate policies will close those gaps than their European counterparts, who believe legislation requiring employers provide equal compensation for equal work and experience levels will solve the problem.

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