56% say physical office is outdated concept
DUBAI 10 October 2017: Flexible hours enable efficiency for both sexes, according to a new survey carried out by global PR and Communications body, Global Women in PR (GWPR).
And while flexibility is attractive to the 83% of parent respondents who found balancing childcare and work a challenge, women are still at a huge disadvantage in the working world – one in three cite a lack of confidence as the one factor that held them back in the workplace, particularly where asking for a pay-rise is concerned.
With the UAE’s female population considered one of the most well-educated in the world and government-led initiatives specifically set up to tackle the issues of increasing the female workforce, there is still a long way to go until women and men are on an equal footing in all regions. Globally, the gender pay gap in the PR industry alone stands at $6,072.
“On launching Hopscotch.ae 18 months ago, we quickly realised that sourcing flexible work for women was only half the battle. Ensuring women follow a path to senior management and building confidence is key to reducing the gap, but we need those women in the workforce in the first place and in the UAE, the employment rate of women is less than half the global average,” said Hopscotch.ae Co-Founder, Helen McGuire.
GWPR Co-founder Angela Oakes said “With 24-7 communications and the ability to stay connected anywhere in the world, why do we need to keep to the traditional 9-5 office working day? This in turn will help women better manage the demands of work and family commitments so they are given the chance to reach the top of the career ladder.”
GWPR research carried out by Onepoll amongst 757 respondents working in the PR industry from 19 countries.
Key Survey Findings
• The average salary for men in PR is US$61,284 (£46,156) compared to women US$55,212 (£41,584) – revealing a gender pay gap of $6,072 (£4,572)**
• There is a staggering gender pay gap at the top in the PR industry, amongst the highest earners. 28% of men earn over US$150,000 compared to 12% of women.
• 17% of men are ‘very confident’ asking for a promotion/pay rise compared to 11% of women
• 26% of women are ‘not very confident’ asking for a promotion/pay rise – compared to 13% men
• 28% of men think they will ‘definitely’ reach the top of the career ladder – only 18% women believe this
• 81% of respondents thought they would be just as efficient if they could choose the hours they work
• Over half (56%) said they didn’t need a fixed office workspace to be efficient