Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Visit us at pewresearch.org
A majority of Americans say they would like to see more women in top leadership positions – not only in politics, but also in the corporate world. But most say men still have an easier path to the top and that women have to do more to prove their worth. And the public is skeptical that the country will ever achieve gender parity in politics or in business.
Republicans and Democrats have widely different views about where things stand today and what factors are holding women back. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are more than twice as likely as Republicans and those who lean Republican to say there are too few women in high political offices (79% vs. 33%). And while 64% of Democrats say gender discrimination is a major reason why women are underrepresented in these positions, only 30% of Republicans agree.
Honesty. Strength. Beauty. What traits does society value most in men and in women? And what traits does society say men and women should not have? We asked 4,573 Americans these questions. Here’s what they told us.
When it comes to sexual harassment in the workplace today, roughly half of Americans say that men getting away with it and women not being believed are major problems. Fewer say the same about employers firing men before finding out all the facts or women making false accusations.
Women employed in majority-male workplaces are more likely to say their gender has made it harder for them to get ahead at work or be treated fairly than are women who work in places with more women than men or with an even mix of women and men. About half of women in majority-male workplaces say sexual harassment is a problem where they work.
Women in STEM jobs are more likely than their male counterparts to have experienced discrimination in the workplace and to believe that discrimination is a major reason there are not more women in STEM. Additionally, black STEM workers are more likely than workers from other racial or ethnic backgrounds to cite a range of race-related slights and inequities at work. Read key findings from the report.
Majorities of Americans say men and women are basically different in the way they express their feelings, their physical abilities, their personal interests and their approach to parenting. The public also sees vastly different pressure points for men and women as they navigate their roles in society.
Plus: How do your views on gender compare with those of other Americans? Take our quiz.
Most Democrats are dissatisfied with the nation’s progress on gender equality, while more than half of Republicans say it has been about right. Democrats are also much more likely than Republicans to say that men have easier lives than women these days, and politics also underpins views about who has benefited from the changing roles of men and women.
In about a third of married or cohabiting couples in the United States, women bring in half or more of the earnings, a significant increase from the past. But in most couples, men contribute more of the income, and this aligns with the fact that Americans place a higher value on a man’s role as financial provider.
Roughly half of Americans say they are paying increased attention to politics since Donald Trump’s election, including nearly six-in-ten women. And 15% say they have attended a political event, rally or protest since the election – with two-thirds (67%) of this group saying they have done so to oppose Trump or his policies.
While men in America are somewhat more likely to experience any form of online harassment, women report higher levels of emotional stress from their experiences and differ in their attitudes toward the underlying causes of such incidents.
About six-in-ten gun owners in the United States are male (62%). Still, about one-in-five women (22%) report that they own a gun. While these women resemble their male counterparts in some respects, their views on and experiences with guns often differ from those of male gun owners.
Women’s attitudes about prospects for the nation’s future have taken a sharply negative turn. Today, just 29% of women say they have “quite a lot” of confidence in the future of the United States – a 14-percentage-point drop since October 2015 – while about half of men say the same.
The gender gap in pay has narrowed since 1980, particularly among younger workers, but it still persists. In 2015, women earned 83% of what men earned.
The estimated 17-cent gender pay gap for all workers in 2015 has narrowed, from 36 cents in 1980. For young women, the gap has narrowed even more over time. Back in 1980, they earned 67% of their male counterparts, compared with 90% in 2015. Read more.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) say wealthy people will gain influence in Washington when Trump takes office. In addition, about half of the public thinks whites (51%), men (51%) and conservative Christians (52%) will gain influence.
Yet, four-in-ten say people like themselves will lose influence by Trump taking office. Read more from our new report.
A larger share of young women are living at home with their parents or other relatives than at any point since the 1940s.
A new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data shows that 36.4% of women ages 18 to 34 resided with family in 2014, mainly in the home of mom, dad or both. The result is a striking U-shaped curve for young women – and young men – indicating a return to the past, statistically speaking.
You’d have to go back 74 years to observe similar living arrangements among American young women. Young men, too, are increasingly living in the same situation, but unlike women their share hasn’t climbed to its level from 1940, the highest year on record. (Comparable data on living arrangements are not available from before then.)
