With International Women’s Day in full swing, a new study lays bare the challenge for those seeking gender equality, revealing just 4 in 10 men are ready to help tackle the issue despite nearly all (98%) women wanting men to get more involved in the fight.
The report, “Women: Progressing Gender Equality” was created in support of UN’s HeForShe alongside a charitable donation by agency Lewis and surveyed more than 7,000 consumers globally.
It lays out the key steps need to close the gap between men and women, both at work and at home, revealing that a third (33%) of women feel undervalued at work because of their gender, compared to 18% of men.
The study also confirms that more women than men have been adversely affected by furlough (14% compared to 11%), and 45% of women’s jobs were impacted due to coronavirus. Meanwhile, 39% of women want men to speak out against gender inequality when they see it, compared to just 28% of men.
When it comes to home life, 42% of women can’t take on paid work because of increasing unpaid care work, while women have spent more time on household work since the pandemic began with home-schooling, childcare, and cooking the biggest burdens.
The survey also revealed that businesses need to address the stark contrast between how gender inequalities are perceived by men and women respectively.
Male employees were more than twice as likely as female colleagues to say that gender inequality is no longer an issue facing women.
Parents of daughters are more engaged in the issue than parents of sons. Some 26% are more likely to discuss gender inequality issues at work and 30% are more likely to discuss gender inequality issues at home.
Lewis chief executive Chris Lewis said: “You don’t need to personally be a victim of discrimination to understand why we need to fight it. It’s clear that men can – and should – do more to help. Our hope is this research will help shine a light on the challenges women face to make all of us stronger allies in the fight against inequality.”
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