Gender inequality remains a considerable problem in the United States, both inside and outside of the workplace, according to a recent Harris Interactive poll.  The poll, conducted among 2,412 adults, was designed to measure general attitudes and beliefs of American adults about the changing roles of men and women in society.

Three-quarters of women surveyed agreed with the statement that the country still has a long way to go to reach complete gender equality.  Just over half of men (52%) agreed with the statement, and 73% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender respondents agreed with the statement.

Focusing on the workplace, 69% of survey respondents said that women do not receive the same pay as men for doing exactly the same job, according to Harris Interactive. In addition, 62% of respondents agreed that women are often discriminated against in terms of promotions to supervisory and executive jobs.

Viewing these results from a gender perspective 80% of women agreed that they don’t receive the same pay for the same job and 75% agreed that women are discriminated against in their promotions.  The results for men were 58% and 48% respectively, and 79% and 72% respectively for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender respondents.  Overall, 52% of respondents agreed that employers make the conditions of work flexible for women with families who want to work (46% of women and 60% of men).

“In 90 years, many things have changed for women in this country,” according to Harris Interactive. “ And some may argue things are better, but there is still the undercurrent that there are issues, especially when it comes to pay and employment, where things have not yet approached an equal footing with men. Women are sitting in more boardrooms and at the helms of more companies today, but there is a sense they are not yet getting paid the same as men in those positions.”

Source:  Harris Interactive poll