Zarah ChoudharyMen’s perceptions of workplace equality remain out of touch with reality, according to HiBob’s fourth annual Women in the Workplace report.
While the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed that full-time working women earn 7% less than men on average, 76% of working men believe their company pays people equally for the same role.
Additionally, 69% of men believe women are promoted equally based on performance.
Research showed that more than a quarter (26%) of working women were not promoted in pay, benefits, or position in 2024, compared to 20% of men.
70% of men received a pay rise in 2024, 26% received a benefits increase, and 25% received a promotion – 6% higher than women across the board.
Salary transparency remained varied across UK firms, with different genders reporting different employer approaches.
66% percent of men claimed their employer had full salary transparency, compared to 51% of women.
Outside of pay and promotions, one in four (24%) women were made to feel uncomfortable or less qualified at work because of their gender.
Almost two in five (36%) women have experienced workplace harassment in the past five years, including bullying or intimidation (8%), unwelcome sexual comments or advances (7%) and verbal harassment (6%).
Three-quarters (73%) of men would characterise their workplace’s approach to addressing potential harassment as supportive, with 41% of men describing it as very supportive and proactive.
16% of women describe their employer’s approach to harassment as unclear, unsupportive or actively discouraging, further showcasing the disconnect between men’s perceptions and women’s realities.
The research also revealed that challenges such as pay, promotion, and harassment are not the most significant barriers women face in advancing their careers.
Instead, women perceive the biggest barriers to be persistent work-life balance challenges (49%), gender stereotyping in technical and leadership roles (36%) and maternal caregiver career penalties (34%).
Ronni Zehavi, CEO and co-founder at HiBob, said: “Workplace change towards gender equality cannot be made without the more privileged group – in this case men, realising the significance of the challenge.
“While workplace equality has been a topic for the last decade, and while many men are firm allies and on board with the action needed, change is slow-paced.
“When we reflect that a third of the workforce is employed in companies that have less than 25% of leadership roles filled by women, it is perhaps not shocking that progress remains slow.
“Today’s research shows that male workers believe progress is significantly further ahead than it is – and this needs to change.
“To create a culture where change happens and is felt by every employee, companies need to increase awareness of the scale of inequality in the workplace, helping each employee understand the challenges and experiences others are facing.
“Allyship, as well as practical action by leaders, will help move the needle at the speed we need it to go now.”
