The lines are moving, but very slowly. Although equality between women and men within companies has been progressing for several years, certain disparities persist. Particularly when looking at the scale of leadership positions. According to a study carried out by Ifop for the platform Hostinger and published at the end of May, 44% of women surveyed said they did not feel entitled to lead a team. To explain this phenomenon, several possible explanations emerge.
First of all, women are on average more likely to be victims of discrimination at work (20% compared to 13% for men). In detail, 22% of them believe they have been faced with unfair treatment when negotiating a salary increase, compared to 13% of men. Concerning access to a position of responsibility, the feeling of discrimination concerns 19% of the women surveyed compared to 13% of men.
“She’s in a bad mood, she must be on her period.”
Then, if it tends to be reduced, sexism is still very present. More than 1 in 2 women say they have been exposed to at least one form of sexism during their career. “Remarks of a sexist nature aimed at women, whether they are in management positions or not, are unfortunately commonplace” in the professional world, reports Chaimaa Chakib, SEO and content marketing specialist at Hostinger, who deciphers the ‘study.
Among the most common thoughts: “She’s in a bad mood, she must be on her period” which tops the list of sexist remarks most often made to women. 40% of respondents say they have already heard it. In addition, almost 4 in 10 women have already been confronted with derogatory remarks about their outfit or their physique, compared to only a quarter of men.
There are also inappropriate insinuations made to women, which sometimes call into question their merit. “Suggesting that a woman was able to obtain a position of responsibility in exchange for sexual favors, the famous ‘couch promotion’, is not insignificant, continues Chaimaa Chakib: almost a third of those questioned were victims of it
A slow improvement
But the study shows it: mentalities have changed since the end of the 1980s. For example, while nearly 40% of workers found it easier to work with a man, this will only be 29% in 2024. In addition , less than a quarter of French people prefer to work under the orders of a man today compared to almost half in 1987.
Unsurprisingly, opinions differ depending on age groups. For example, “the perception of this inequality in the evolution of professional careers based on gender is also more present among the youngest,” notes Chaimaa Chakib. 82% of young people aged 18 to 24 believe that it is easier for a man to have a career, compared to 69% of French people aged 50 to 64 or 72% of 35-49 year olds.