Despite truckloads of evidence to the contrary, workers in seven industrialized countries mistakenly believe that men and women are paid equally for the same work in their companies, according to a survey conducted just this month.

The Harris company conducted the survey for Glassdoor, an online provider of company and salary ratings.  It contacted 8,000 workers in Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  The survey found that nearly three in four workers believe that men and women currently earn the same wages for doing similar jobs.

And that just does not reflect reality in the world, especially in some of those countries.  The World Economic Forum in 2014 studied 142 countries for gender pay equity, and found that not one of them paid men and women equally for doing the same work.  Of the three anglophone countries surveyed, the UK ranked highest for pay equity at 18.  The US came in 28th place, and Canada was two slots behind that at 30.  Australia wasn't included in the Harris Poll, but ranked way down at 36 - but hey, that's a lot better than Russia (75) and Saudi Arabia (134), right?

"Like many, we were a little surprised that (so many) employed adults do not believe there is a gender pay gap at their company," said Glassdoor's Dawn Lyon.  "While we don't have specific information from the survey respondents regarding their understanding of pay at their workplaces, part of the reason may be the lack of transparency around salaries at their organizations."

When broken down by gender, it turns out that women were less likely (60 percent) than men (78 percent) to believe that people were paid equally.

"Companies that hope to attract more female talent would be wise to be transparent about their compensation practices and make clear they have no gender pay gap," said the authors of the Harris Poll report.

A large majority of workers in seven industrialized nations mistakenly believe that men and women in their countries are paid equally for the same work, according to a new survey.

Glassdoor, an online provider of company ratings and salaries, surveyed more than 8,000 workers in Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The company’s Feb. 10 survey found that nearly 3 in 4 workers believe that men and women currently earn the same wages for doing similar jobs. 

But that belief doesn’t track with reality: The World Economic Forum in 2014 reported that not one of the 142 nations it studied—including those in Glassdoor’s survey—had closed its gender gap. In fact, the Forum reported that it will take 81 years to reach gender parity in the workplace globally. Nordic nations had the most equal pay between genders. The United States came in at No. 20.

“Like many, we were a little surprised that [so many] employed adults do not believe there is a gender pay gap at their company,” said Dawn Lyon, vice president of corporate affairs at Glassdoor. “While we don’t have specific information from the survey respondents regarding their understanding of pay at their workplaces, part of the reason may be the lack of transparency around salaries at their organizations.”

The survey found that fewer women (60 percent) than men (78 percent) believed men and women are paid equally at their companies.

“Companies that hope to attract more female talent would be wise to be transparent about their compensation practices and make clear they have no gender pay gap,” the report authors wrote. “More than two-thirds (67 percent) of U.S. employees are not likely to apply where they believe there is a pay gap between men and women for similar work, and significantly more women (81 percent) than men (55 percent) feel this way.” - See more at: http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/diversity/articles/pages/gender-pay-gap-.aspx#sthash.gUfvoV8R.dpuf
A large majority of workers in seven industrialized nations mistakenly believe that men and women in their countries are paid equally for the same work, according to a new survey.

Glassdoor, an online provider of company ratings and salaries, surveyed more than 8,000 workers in Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The company’s Feb. 10 survey found that nearly 3 in 4 workers believe that men and women currently earn the same wages for doing similar jobs. 

But that belief doesn’t track with reality: The World Economic Forum in 2014 reported that not one of the 142 nations it studied—including those in Glassdoor’s survey—had closed its gender gap. In fact, the Forum reported that it will take 81 years to reach gender parity in the workplace globally. Nordic nations had the most equal pay between genders. The United States came in at No. 20.

“Like many, we were a little surprised that [so many] employed adults do not believe there is a gender pay gap at their company,” said Dawn Lyon, vice president of corporate affairs at Glassdoor. “While we don’t have specific information from the survey respondents regarding their understanding of pay at their workplaces, part of the reason may be the lack of transparency around salaries at their organizations.”

The survey found that fewer women (60 percent) than men (78 percent) believed men and women are paid equally at their companies.

“Companies that hope to attract more female talent would be wise to be transparent about their compensation practices and make clear they have no gender pay gap,” the report authors wrote. “More than two-thirds (67 percent) of U.S. employees are not likely to apply where they believe there is a pay gap between men and women for similar work, and significantly more women (81 percent) than men (55 percent) feel this way.” - See more at: http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/diversity/articles/pages/gender-pay-gap-.aspx#sthash.gUfvoV8R.dpuf