PwC conducted a survey on the gender gap, in which most women said they do not feel well paid and that men have more power than men. The questionnaire was carried out between March and April 2022 to more than 52,000 workers in 44 countries, of which 42% of those surveyed were women. Of the total respondents, 71% of men and 72% of women consider that the economic reward is important, however, when asked if this factor is really present in their work environment, the dispersion of results between the responses of men and women was significant. Within the questionnaire to which the workers were subjected, the following dimensions were taken into account: autonomy, performance / impact of work, meaning / belonging and confidence / competence, with the aim of finding out if people felt -or not- empowered at work and also obtain information on whether people felt empowered – or not – at work. Specialized training is one of the key elements, according to respondents, as almost half said their job requires some level of specific training and that group was much more likely than other respondents to say they wanted a raise or promotion in the next 12 months. And only 30% of respondents said they are concerned about their role being replaced by technology in the next three years, while 39% worry they won’t receive enough digital and tech skills training from their employer. That proportion is even higher among younger respondents. Among the biggest points of difference that were reflected in the survey are:
Receive fair financial compensation: 34% more women than men report that they do not experience it in practice.
Work autonomy: 27% more women than men reveal that they cannot manage their career over time and 22% more say they cannot choose where and how to work.
Job satisfaction: 20% more women than men surveyed said they are not happy with their current job.
Power to make decisions: the survey reveals that 19% more women than men feel that their opinion is not taken into account at work.
In order to narrow the gender gap, which so far, as reflected in the survey, is still in force, PwC recommended five ways to create greater equity in the workplace: listen and measure, make salary schemes fairer, promote flexibility, develop inclusive leadership skills among managers and the team, and remember that flexible working favors inclusion, as reflected by the pandemic.
