Survey finds 60% believe gender bias exists at work

AROUND 60% of workers in Northern Ireland say gender discrimination exists in their workplace, a poll has found.

The survey — Perceptions of Gender Discrimination in the Workplace 2018 by Investors in People — has been released to coincide with International Women’s Day today.

It also revealed that 50% of those surveyed say they have experienced gender discrimination first-hand, while 30% believe that their gender has negatively impacted career progression.

The results of this year’s survey also suggested that workers here are most likely to believe that the current pay gap between men and women is 19% in favour of men.

The actual pay gap for fulltime workers is 9%.

Investors in People chairperson Valerie Todd said: “The results of Investors in People’s Per- ceptions of Workplace Gender Discrimination 2018 reveal that an unacceptably high proportion of workers in Northern Ireland feel that gender discrimination exists.

“Moreover, the fact that nearly half of workers in the region have experienced this sort of discrimination shows that there is still much to be done in ensuring that workplaces across the country are providing fair and inclusive environments for all workers, regardless of gender.”

Other statistics showed that almost half of workers feel that their organisation actively encourages gender equality.

Investors in People chief executive Paul Devoy said: “It is unacceptable that the majority of workers feel that pay discrimination is actually worse than it is. More must be done to promote a culture of gender parity in every workplace.”

The poll was carried out among 1,000 male and 1,000 fulltime workers in the UK.