The working reality of gender equality

Important evolutions and transformations are happening in the Polish labour market. A major change is an advance towards equality and diversity, and the growing number of organisations driving initiatives with that aim in mind. But are their current actions sufficient? According to the Hays Poland report – “Women in the Labour Market 2022" – not really. As many as 53% of female respondents encountered gender-related obstacles in their careers.

We need to acknowledge there is still a long way to go to achieve gender equality in the Polish labour market. Organisations are increasingly willing to implement diversity policies and engage in initiatives that increase the percentage of women in leadership roles. However, in reality, these changes are not satisfying for everyone. Our research shows that still there is a large group of women who don’t see the labour market as a friendly or accessible place.

DOES GENDER AFFECT CAREER DEVELOPMENT?

According to the survey that forms the basis of "Women in the Labour Market 2022", 53% of women and 28% of men encountered in their careers obstacles due to their gender. If we drill down into the data, female specialists and managers are more likely to experience situations where their professional opportunities are determined by stereotypes, unconscious bias, or discriminatory practices than their male colleagues.

The survey responses from women say they experience cases of favouritism towards men (55%), stereotypes in hiring and promotion decisions (53%), and the assumption that they are less available to the employer as a worker (48%). Another surprising statistic is that 42% of women cited a lack of confidence in their qualifications from employers.

These sentiments are reflected in the boardroom. The results show that in 2022, only 16% of organisations are manager by women, which is 5 percentage points lower than in 2021. Poland doesn’t have a shortage of talented, successful female managers and directors, but looking at the composition of management and supervisory boards, we see the vast majority are led by men. Thereby, many important decision- making processes may miss a unique, female perspective, which can allow a focus on frequently overlooked issues – such as working conditions, internal communications, and organisational culture.

Female respondents also indicated that they experienced a sense of being undervalued by colleagues in their careers. 48% of women in managerial or C-level roles have the impression that their work and effort were overlooked. Many female leaders also indicate that they are being perceived and assessed through the prism of stereotypes. These include, for example, the "feminine management style" – mistakenly understood by many as too emotional, with an excessive tendency to compromise, and a lack of esteem among subordinates.

MIND THE SALARY GAP

Another contentious issue is the salary difference conundrum between women and men. Only 33% of women and 66% of men are convinced that gender does not affect the salary level of employees with comparable skills and experience. According to the Central Statistical Office, the adjusted gender pay gap in Poland is between 18-20% – based on a comparison of employees with similar education, holding similar positions, and with similar work experience. In practice, this difference results from the fact that women work part time in more circumstances, are employed in different sectors and occupy the top positions in companies less frequently. Pay inequality is detrimental to both organisations and employees, preventing the adequate deployment and development of talent, and leading to high staff turnover and dissatisfaction. What could help to solve this problem? According to 77% of women and 57% of men – greater transparency on pay.

The survey does depict a trend that points towards progress – over the last year, women have been promoted slightly more often than men. Although both female and male respondents most often indicated their efforts as the reason for getting a promotion (36% and 39%, respectively), the other arguments differ depending on the gender of the employee. While women were more likely to see the supervisor's initiative (19%) and the emerging business need in the company (17%) as the reasons behind their promotion, men usually saw it simply as the next stage of their career development path (26%).

THE BALANCING ACT OF WORKING PARENTS

Stereotypes and inferior career development prospects are not the only obstacles that female workers face – employers also see potential motherhood as an issue when considering an application. 67% of our female respondents that are working parents encountered obstacles in their careers that were related to balancing work with raising children. Parenthood and family responsibilities are still seen as being conducted, in the main, by women. As a result of this assumption, some decision-makers believe that women will often be out of the office to take care of their children, or will become pregnant and disappear on maternity leave.

The challenges in being a working parent do not only apply to women. 45% of fathers in our survey experienced obstacles in reconciling work with raising children. In addition, 69% of women and 81% of men indicated the lack of opportunity to fully participate in the life of their children. This vital piece of information for employers must lead to the greater implementation of support programs for working parents. However, such initiatives should be addressed to both women and men who – as the research shows – would like to be equally involved in family affairs.

A BETTER TOMORROW

Gradual changes are visible on the horizon, in the hope of equal opportunities for working women and men. The EU’s Work-Life Balance Directive aims to make it easier for parents to balance work and family life, aiming to change the deeprooted figure of the “woman as the main parent”. Additionally, under the new legislation, new fathers are to be granted two months of parental leave that cannot be transferred to their partners. On this key issue, where the thoughts of both women and men that participated in our survey aligned, regulatory grounding will help break conventional parental stereotypes.

This momentum has pushed more employers to invest in the development of equal opportunities. These organisations recognise that diversity in the workplace equals new avenues for innovation, more ways of addressing challenges, and can be a solution to talent attraction dilemmas. The benefits of implementing equity and inclusion policies are also the backbone to achieving the goal of a satisfied and engaged workforce, one with diversity in representation.

Importantly, policies need to translate into specific actions. Ensuring equal opportunities for promotion, pay, and a fair assessment based solely on work results for all doesn’t magically happen overnight. In theory, a successful diversity policy is a keystone to building a company culture based on respect, equality, and inclusion, in which every employee – regardless of gender, age, background, or beliefs – can pursue their professional ambitions.

However, for a policy to be effective, it must be anchored in the business strategy and adhered to by managerial staff. Employees need to feel that diversity is truly important to the organisation. This is done through defined procedures, clear communication, and consistent application. Only then can both companies and employees reap the rewards, creating a better tomorrow for all.

Author: Aleksandra Tyszkiewicz, Executive Director, Hays Poland

This article comes from magazine:
FOCUS ON Business #5 July-August (4/2022)