17 Jun 2017
Adelaide Advertiser, Adelaide
Section: Careers • Article type :
Female workers respect their boss more than their male colleagues do – even though they are more likely to be paid significantly less by them.
Research by HR think tank Reventure finds 52 per cent of women have a lot of respect and admiration for their boss.
It compares with just 44 per cent of men, the 2016 Snapshot of the Australian Workplace report reveals.
Lead researcher Dr Lindsay McMillan says it is a surprising fact, as the gender pay gap is estimated at about 16 per cent. “One of the most significant issues in the workplace, and indeed in society, is the gender pay gap,” he says.
“The Snapshot tells us that female employees are more likely to feel respect for their boss, but other data also tells us that they are more likely to be paid less by that boss.
“There could be a variety of reasons for this . . . and we don’t know exactly how this plays into the gender pay gap, but it is clearly doing little to bridge the significant divide we continue to see.”
She says most companies will aim to use merit, experience and contribution to the company as the most important factors in awarding pay increases and promotions.
“However, gender differences in attitude and responses in the workplace contribute to unconscious bias and ways of defining merit and experience, which value the contributions of men more highly than those of women,” he says.