The Gender Gap

At the overall level, our data reveals that men and women generally report very similar employee engagement levels. But, digging into the drivers of engagement – such as career opportunities and perceptions of pay – reveals that there are significant and critical differences in how men and women experience their work.

Women are less likely than men, for example, to feel that action will be taken on issues of workplace fairness; they feel less challenged at work; and this research shows that women feel that the results they get at work are not as connected to their pay.

Where could these differences be coming from?

• The tale of tenure — during their first two years, female employees’ perceptions of having influence, autonomy, and a sense of accomplishment all drop at twice the rate seen among their male counterparts.
• Age — younger, female employees are significantly less engaged than their male counterparts.
• A different view — women tend to be more engaged than men at lower levels of the organization, but as women reach senior levels, they become less engaged than their male counterparts.

To narrow the gender gap, organizations should look at issues such as perceptions around pay, opportunity, decision-making and improving trust in leadership.

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