TORONTO, May 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study from CareerBuilder.ca shows perceptions of unequal pay and career advancement opportunities are prevalent in the workplace.  Twenty-two per cent of female workers said they feel they are paid less than male counterparts with the same skills and experience. Thirty per cent of female workers feel men have more career advancement opportunities within their organizations.  This nationwide Canadian survey was conducted among 550 Canadian employees between November 15 and December 2, 2010.

Perceptions are reflecting reality.  Comparing salaries, 43 per cent of men surveyed reported they make $50,000 or more, compared to 25 per cent of women.  Four per cent of men make $100,000 or more, compared to just 2 per cent of women.  On the other end of the pay scale, 44 per cent of women reported they make $35,000 or less compared to 25 per cent of men.  

In terms of upward mobility, 21 per cent of men surveyed said they hold a management position compared to 19 per cent of women.  Nearly half (49 per cent) of women said they are in clerical or administrative roles compared to 27 per cent of men.  

Women also reported a difference in the amount of kudos given to members of the opposite sex.  Twenty-three per cent of women reported that men receive more recognition for their accomplishments than women do within their organizations.  

"While many companies are working toward greater equality in all measures of the workplace, a significant disparity still exists," said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.  "Workers in general are more aware of average compensation levels.  They are also more vocal about shortcomings they believe exist when it comes to their pay and title, especially coming off of a recession when workloads and hours largely increased."  

Three-in-ten women (31 per cent) attributed the disparity in pay and career advancement to the fact that they don't rub elbows or schmooze with management as much as men.  Seventeen per cent said it was a simple case of management showing favoritism to the opposite sex while 24 per cent acknowledged that their male counterpart had been with the company longer.

The Man's Perspective

From the male point of view, 86 per cent of men feel men and women with the same qualifications are paid the same within their organizations and 81 per cent believe the career advancement opportunities are equal for both genders.  

Five per cent of men said they feel they are paid less than their female counterparts.  Ten per cent of men feel women have more career advancement opportunities.  Eight per cent of men said women receive more recognition for their accomplishments than men do within their organizations.  

When asked what annoyed them most about the opposite sex in the office, men said women tend to gossip or become too emotional or sensitive. Women said men can be too arrogant, say inappropriate comments and don't take female co-workers seriously.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within Canada by Harris Interactive^© on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 550 Canadian workers (employed full-time; not self-employed; non-government) ages 18 and over between November 15 and December 2, 2010 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 550 one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 4.18 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

About CareerBuilder.ca: 

CareerBuilder.ca is a leading job site in Canada.  Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), the Tribune Company, and The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), CareerBuilder.ca powers the career centers for more than 250 Canadian partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences.  These include leading portals such as MSN.ca and Macleans.ca.  Job seekers visit CareerBuilder.ca every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic e-mail job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management.  For more information about CareerBuilder.ca products and services, visit http://www.careerbuilder.ca.

Media Contact:
CareerBuilder.ca
Michael Erwin
773-527-3637
michael.erwin@careerbuilder.com
http://www.twitter.com/CareerBuilderPR

SOURCE CareerBuilder.ca