Men are paid more, feel US working women

A growing number of working women in the US believe they are paid less than their male counterparts, even if they have same skills and experience, says a survey.

According to a study by job portal CareerBuilder, perceptions of unequal pay and biased career advancement opportunities are increasing at the workplace.

About 38 per cent of female employees consider they are paid less than male counterparts with the same skills and experience, up from 34 per cent in 2008 when the survey was last conducted, and up from 31 per cent in 2003.

In addition, 39 per cent of the fairer sex feel men have more career advancement opportunities within their organisations, up from 26 per cent in 2008.

In terms of a salary comparison, 45 per cent of men surveyed said they make $50,000 or more, compared to 24 per cent of women.

Furthermore, 10 per cent of men make $100,000 or more, as against to just 3 per cent of women.

On the other end of the pay scale, 40 per cent of women reported they make $35,000 or less compared to 24 per cent of men.

In terms of upward mobility in their careers, 30 per cent of men surveyed said they hold a management position, compared to 21 per cent of women.

"While

many companies are working toward greater equality in all measures of the workplace, a significant disparity still exists.

"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," CareerBuilder vice-president (human resources) Rosemary Haefner said.

More than one-third of women (35 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'.

Nearly a quarter simply felt management showed favoritism toward men.

Asked what annoyed them most about the opposite sex in the office, men said women tend to gossip or become too emotional or sensitive.

In contrast, women said men can be too arrogant, make inappropriate comments and don't take female co-workers seriously.

The survey was conducted online within the US by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,274 male workers and 1,636 female workers between November and December, 2010.