CareerBuilder.com Survey Finds Majority of Men and Women Satisfied with Jobs
Men and Women Dissatisfied with Their Pay;
Women Challenged by Stress and Lack of Career Advancement Opportunities
CHICAGO, May 2, 2003 - Fifty-nine percent of both men and women reported that they were satisfied with their jobs, according to a new CareerBuilder.com survey. Although satisfied with their jobs, dissatisfaction with pay was a common complaint among 49 percent of men and 52 percent of women. Women also reported more stress and dissatisfaction with opportunities for career advancement. The CareerBuilder.com "Men and Women at Work 2003" survey of full-time employed men and women was conducted from March 20, 2003 to March 27, 2003.
Thirty-one percent of women reported that they were paid less than men with similar experience and qualifications while only 9 percent of men felt that they were paid less than women. Seventeen percent of men and 10 percent of women indicated that they were paid more than co-workers of the opposite sex with similar professional backgrounds. Women attributed the pay disparity to different views towards women and men while men attributed it to the seniority or tenure of the individual.
"Men and women face a common challenge in the workplace today: satisfactory compensation," said Dawn Haden, a senior career expert with CareerBuilder.com. "Pay is the number one job factor motivating men and women to work. As companies continue to adjust to changing economic conditions, they still need to be competitive yet fair when it comes to compensation."
In addition to pay, a fulfilling job experience is important. While 59 percent of men reported job satisfaction, 42 percent of men were willing to take a pay cut in exchange for a more fulfilling and satisfying job while only 34 percent of women would consider such a pay cut. Eleven percent of men were willing to take a pay cut of more than 10 percent for a more fulfilling job.
Another important job factor is stress. Fifty-nine percent of women and 50 percent of men reported that they worked under a great deal of stress. At least half of both men and women indicated that they worked more than 40 hours per week. As men and women worked longer hours, their stress levels also increased. Of those men and women who worked more than 50 hours per week, 71 percent reported that they worked under a great deal of stress.
Opportunity also comes into play when measuring job satisfaction levels. Women reported more dissatisfaction with career advancement opportunities than men. Only 31 percent of women were satisfied with opportunities for career advancement while 40 percent of men were satisfied. The majority of men and women were satisfied with their career progress to date; however, when asked to identify the factor that had the greatest impact on impeding their career progress, it was the lack of career advancement opportunities within their own organization.
"One of the best ways for an organization to increase job satisfaction and retain top performers is to develop a path for upper mobility," continued Haden. "By providing career development and learning opportunities on the job or through outside training, organizations will increase retention rates and foster commitment from their workers to the success of the organization."
The Survey
The new CareerBuilder.com survey, "Men and Women at Work 2003," was conducted from March 20 to March 27, 2003 of 640 men and 665 women, all employed full-time. To collect data for the survey, CareerBuilder.com commissioned SurveySite to use an e-mail methodology whereby individuals who are members of SurveySite Web Panel were randomly selected and approached by e-mail invitation to participate in the online survey. The results of this survey are accurate within +/- 4 percent (19 times out of 20).
About CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com is a leading online source for maximizing recruitment dollars and optimizing job searches with superior products, customer service and technology. With a unique combination of national, local and niche audiences, CareerBuilder.com makes it easy for recruiters to reach the most qualified candidates with industry-leading market research data and support. Job seekers can search for the right job from more than 400,000 continuously updated postings, representing more than 25,000 of the top employers in virtually every industry, field and location. Together with Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB) and Knight-Ridder Inc. (NYSE: KRI), CareerBuilder.com includes the Web’s top newspaper sites - the most trusted employment sources in recruiting. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, call 888-670-TEAM or visit http://www.careerbuilder.com.
CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:
Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com
