Survey: The average woman gets ‘mansplained’ six times per week at work

NEW YORK — Is the business world really evolving or is it still stuck in the past? Women enjoy more professional opportunities than ever before, but a recent survey finds the corporate landscape still has a long way to go before men and women employees are treated equally. A survey of 2,000 employed women finds that the average woman gets “mansplained” (talked down to, spoken to like a child by a male co-worker) while on the job six times each week.

That’s 312 mansplaining moments each year!

For what it’s worth, three in five think the men in their office don’t even realize that they’re explaining information women already know. Another 40% have been told by a male colleague that they “come on too strong.”

The research, commissioned by Self, uncovered a number of troubling findings regarding women in the workplace. In all, 75% said they consider themselves underpaid. The average respondent believes she should be making an extra $11,631.35 annually. Meanwhile, over half know or at least suspect that their male co-workers of the same rank and title make more than they do. Unbelievably, the average respondent believes her male counterparts make $8,964.06 a year more than she does.

Not convinced that the playing field isn’t equal? A staggering 65% flat out agreed their company doesn’t provide the same opportunities to women as it does for men. A full third said their company has no female supervisors, and 62% are planning on leaving their current job because there is no room to grow.

Respondents were asked about their top reasons to leave a job, and harassment came in at number one (40%), followed by a lack of work flexibility (38%), unequal pay (36%), lack of consistency in company policies (35%), and lack of transparency (34%). Sexism (33%), office politics (31%), lack of growth (30%), and office cliques (23%) were also popular answers.

As far as aspects of their jobs they would love to fix, equal pay was the top answer (45%), followed by flexibility for parents (44%), better maternity leave (42%), and more leadership roles for women (41%).

“To thrive at work, women want fundamental things like safety and the support needed to get their jobs done. Equal pay and benefits like childcare and flexibility for working parents (not just moms) shouldn’t be considered radical requests. Ultimately, empowering women in the workplace can be good for both women and their employers, it doesn’t have to be an either-or situation,” a Self spokesperson says in a statement.

Also, 70% would like to see paternity leave that is just as long as maternity leave.

Following a pregnancy, coming back to work can be a challenge, and many respondents wish (42%) their job had childcare to make the transition easier. Another 40% think their employer should provide a stipend for childcare, and 45% would like more work-from-home options for new parents.

The survey was conducted by OnePoll.

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