Financial services home to gender discrimination
Nearly two thirds of Australian finance professionals claim that gender discrimination exists in the industry, according to the eFinancialCareers Diversity Survey.
However, only half of male respondents support this claim, as opposed to 84 per cent of female survey participants, pointing to the varying perceptions of discrimination among the two genders, said George McFerran, managing director of eFinancialCareers for Asia Pacific.
"Despite all the efforts made by finance companies to tackle the issue, it is alarming to see that so many women working in financial services feel that gender discrimination is taking place," McFerran said.
"The industry has already lost some of its gloss in recent years, but if women's perception of gender discrimination in financial services is as bad as they report, then companies will continue to struggle to attract women into the industry."
One of the most long-standing gender issues is the pay gap and, according to the survey, more than three quarters of women in the financial services industry claim the issue around pay equality still exists - a view shared by 44 per cent of their male colleagues.
The perception of disparity sharpens when it comes to managerial positions, McFerran added.
The survey found only 12 per cent of women in financial services think remuneration is equal for both genders, compared to nearly half of male respondents.
"To achieve a fairer representation of women at the top levels of finance, it is now more important than ever to put a clear gender policy in place and to convince more men that action is needed," McFerran said.
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