Anna Boyne
Working mothers remain significantly worse off in pay and career progression than their male counterparts, according to a recent survey.
The survey is the third of its kind by specialist recruitment firm, Robert Walters.
Robert Walters’ studies analyse professional diversity and inclusion by surveying 6,000 white-collar professionals on a yearly basis.
Although the report found improvements in areas of gender inequality in the workplace, it emphasised the need for continued progress and intersectional approaches.
“Several studies showcase the financial benefits of gender-diverse business units”
Chris Pool, UK Managing Director at Robert Walters, said: “Gender diversity is vital to any workplace- not just because it is a laudable goal.
“Several studies showcase the financial benefits of gender-diverse business units- with a highly engaged diverse team having a strong correlation with revenue and net profit.”
Pay disparity
In 1970, the Equal Pay Act gave workers ‘the right to be treated equally in terms of pay in comparison to a member of the opposite sex.’ Yet over fifty years later, the Robert Walters report has found that almost eight in ten organisations recorded a gender pay gap in the last year.
“making it difficult for working mothers to ascend to very senior roles”
The survey found that more senior and higher-paid roles were inaccessible to working parents, especially mothers.
One participant said: “There is a lack of flexible working at senior levels, making it difficult for working mothers to ascend to very senior roles. Flexibility tends to be offered at more junior levels only.”
Another significant factor was lower levels of confidence in pay negotiation, perhaps rooted in the “historical head-start” for men.
Career progression slowed
The report also found that career progression was slower for working mothers than for working fathers. 56% of working mothers stated their employers were yet to offer them a promotion, compared to only 14% of working fathers.
“Working mothers are bearing the brunt of juggling childcare”
This difference can be attributed to the fact working mothers are bearing the brunt of juggling childcare. 36% of women said that balancing work and personal commitments gets in the way of work. Only 23% of fathers agreed.
Working mothers are also being offered fewer opportunities and experiencing lower levels of confidence.
In contrast, working fathers cited high competition with colleagues for promotion as the main challenge they faced to career progression.
Importance of intersectionality
The report also stressed the importance of taking a nuanced approach to diversity and equality in the workplace. Many women also face workplace discrimination due to their sexuality or ethnicity.
Whilst white women have the lowest propensity to negotiate pay (47%) in comparison to black (66%) and Asian (62%) women who ask for higher salaries, it is white women who still report a higher success rate in receiving the requested amount negotiated.
Additionally, LGBTQI+ women reported the biggest hurdles in their careers compared to LGBTQI+ men or heterosexual men and women.
What now?
In the report, Coral Bamgboye, Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at Robert Walters Group, urges organisations to “keep their foot on the gas in continuing to hold gender balance at the forefront of their focus and ensure that we don’t go backwards in the journey for equity.”
The report recommends prioritising everyday inclusion. This means combatting microaggressions by intervening in the moment and suitably addressing the perpetrator afterwards.
“Silence can lead to inaction”
Leaders should also be equipped to talk about equality, diversity and inclusion as “silence can lead to inaction.”
It also urges pay transparency to combat the gender pay gap, adopting a data-driven strategy and identifying bias in systems and processes.
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Featured image courtesy of charlesdeluvio on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
