Most think equal representation of women in professions still a decade away

A new poll by Ipsos for the Southbank Centre reveals most Britons think it will be a decade or longer before there are equal numbers of men and women in key professions.  

The survey, which was conducted ahead of International Women’s Day for the centre’s Women of the World Festival, asked 1,000 British adults about their attitudes towards gender issues and their experiences of sexism in the UK.  

The survey finds people are generally more positive about the prospects for young women today compared to older generations, than they are about the prospects of young men today compared to their fathers. Some 60% of all Gen Y (men and women) think that young women will have a better life than women from their parents’ generation, while only 44% are as positive about the prospects for young men.  

However, seven in ten people expect to wait longer than a decade to see equal numbers of male and female judges, chief executives, MPs and engineers – and around one in four expect to wait until at least 2036 for the gender gap to close.

Other findings include:

• Some 48% of women think there are more advantages to being a man in our society (compared to just 35% of men) - with only eight per cent thinking there are more advantages in being a woman.
• Seven in ten women say they have experienced unwanted comments in a public place (22% often), while half say they have had unwanted contact or advances (11% often). 
• Only 17% of people still believe in the traditional gender roles of a man earning money while a women’s place is at home, although this rises to 30% of the pre-war generation.
• Three in four working women say they have experienced difficulties balancing work and family life (50% often) while 56% say they have been taken less seriously at work because they are a women (23% often). Eighty-seven per cent of working women with children in their household report difficulties with balancing work and family life.
• Only twenty-seven per cent of women aged under 65 think men are sexist – compared with sixty-four per cent in 1995.
• Only thirty-four per cent of women consider themselves a feminist– although figures are much higher amongst those who are university educated (at 44%).

To find out more about the results, please visit the Southbank Centre website: http://wow.southbankcentre.co.uk/

• Download the survey topline (PDF)
• Download the computer tables (PDF)

Technical note

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone 19th-21st February 2016. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.