A third of women say they are being asked to plan social gatherings at work more often than their male colleagues.
December 14, 2023
The beginning of December is full of many predictable events. A drop in the weather, the first snowfall and the beginning of seasonal traditions. But for many women, it also means another job in their office job jar.
As part of the She/Her/Hers syndicated study Abacus Data The data below is from a survey of n=2,000 gen pop women in Canada and n=500 gen pop men.
In our inaugural She/Her/Hers study we asked women (and men) if they felt the division of certain tasks and opportunities in the workplace was gendered. For many, the answer is yes.
A third (36%) of working women say they are expected to take on more social responsibilities in their workplace than their male counterparts. This could include anything from planning after-work drinks, remembering and planning birthday celebrations and organizing the team holiday party.
The good news is women 18 to 29 are less likely than their older counterparts to feel these tasks are gendered.
Women aren’t the only ones noticing these imbalances in the workplace. A quarter of working men agree their female colleagues are being asked to take on this work far more often.
Assigning workplace responsibilities based on gender doesn’t just impact workload. It also impacts opportunities and experiences available to women in the workplace, particularly opportunities associated with advancing careers.
Based on the data collected in the She/Her/Hers survey, women who are asked to shoulder social responsibilities in their workplaces are also less likely to receive career supports compared to their male colleagues. They are less likely to receive constructive feedback focused on growth, less likely to receive professional development opportunities and more likely to get passed over for promotions and raises.
The Upshot
It’s one thing to take on tasks at work that you might enjoy, but it’s another to be expected to carry out certain tasks based on gender. Relying on women in the workplace to take charge of planning social responsibilities not only assigns them with a task unrelated to career growth, it also means they are less likely to receive opportunities that do help with growth.
Removing bias from roles and responsibilities in the workplace is one step towards leveling the playing field and achieving equality in the workplace.
She/Her/Hers is a research practice dedicated to exploring how the lived experiences of Canadians, their behaviours, and attitudes are gendered. The study explores a range of subject areas that inform what it’s like being a Canadian woman today – from home life, to work life, to finances, to consumer behaviour. To learn more about the study please reach out to: oksana@abacusdata.ca
To purchase the She/Her/Hers study please reach out to: yvonne@abacusdata.ca
Methodology
The survey was conducted with n=2,500 gen pop adults in Canada (including n=2000 women and n=500 men) from February 9th to 16th 2023. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source.
The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region.
Abacus Data follows the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements that can be found here: https://canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/standards/
This survey was paid for by Abacus Data.
