Survey: What do you really think about workplace gender diversity?

What do you really think about gender diversity in the workplace? Here’s your chance to express yourself – anonymously.

For the second year running, Hays is holding a survey to find out what you and others from workforces around the globe truly think about gender diversity in the workplace. This year’s results will be contrasted against last year’s – which showed that many men really don’t see a problem.

Last year’s report surveyed almost 6000 people globally and showed more women than men think the sexes aren’t paid or rewarded equally (45 percent of women vs 18 percent of men), while more than double the number of women to men (48 percent vs 21 percent) say the same career options are not open to both genders.

“This suggests that most people in executive and senior management roles – the majority of which are men – still fail to see any inequality when it comes to pay and career opportunities between the sexes. This makes it difficult to see how we will see any significant advancement in this area while the majority of people in senior roles do not recognise it as an issue,” said CEO of Hays Alistair Cox at the time.

“Many organisations now have specific programmes in place to address this issue, yet it has to be asked how successful these might be given that the majority of our survey respondents felt as though no imbalance existed in terms of pay or opportunities. Maybe this lack of recognition of the issue is the real obstacle to change.”

Hays, a Global Women support partner, is a strong advocate for gender diversity in the workplace, and says that although progress is being made, it remains a business critical issue across the globe.

The organisation says there is significant proof that having a gender diverse workforce benefits businesses. The advantages include greater employee motivation, increased innovation and productivity, all of which drive financial performance. Businesses also benefit from enhanced brand reputation and access to a wider talent pool to meet skills shortages.