Story Highlights
- 44% of women, 61% of men satisfied with women's treatment in society
- One-third of women, 61% of men think men and women have equal job opportunities
- Women (72%) more likely than men (61%) to back affirmative action for women
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Women in the U.S. remain largely dissatisfied with the treatment of their gender in society, do not think there is gender equality in job opportunities and favor affirmative action programs for women. Conversely, majorities of men are satisfied with the treatment of women in society and think women and men in the U.S. have equal job opportunities. However, well over half of men support affirmative action programs for women.
Overall, 53% of Americans, including 44% of women and 61% of men, are very or somewhat satisfied with the treatment of women in society. Less than half of U.S. adults (47%) and women (33%) think men and women have equal job opportunities, but 61% of men say they do. Meanwhile, affirmative action programs for women are favored by majorities of all three groups -- 66% of U.S. adults, 72% of women and 61% of men.
| Women | Men | |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| Satisfied with treatment of women in society | 44 | 61 |
| Think women have equal job opportunities as men | 33 | 61 |
| Favor affirmative action programs for women | 72 | 61 |
| Â鶹´«Ã½AV, June 1-July 5, 2021 | ||
These findings are from Â鶹´«Ã½AV's June 1-July 5 Minority Rights and Relations survey. The survey includes oversamples of Black and Hispanic Americans, weighted to their correct proportion of the population, to allow for reliable reporting of these groups' views.
Satisfaction With Treatment of Women in Society Remains at Record Low
Over the past two decades, Americans' satisfaction with the treatment of women in society has ranged from the current 53% low to a 72% high in 2002 and 2003. The sharpest decline in satisfaction -- 10 percentage points, from 63% to 53% -- occurred in 2018 in the wake of the #MeToo social movement in the U.S. that raised awareness about harassment and violence against women. Since then, satisfaction has remained steady at that level.
Women's satisfaction dropped 15 points spanning the emergence of #MeToo, while men's fell five points. The latest reading among women, 44%, is the lowest on record, although it is not statistically different from the 46% readings in 2018 and 2020. At the same time, men's satisfaction with the treatment of women has remained flat at 61% to 62% since 2018.
Line chart. Percentages of U.S. adults, women and men who are very or somewhat satisfied with the way women are treated in society since 2001. Currently, 53% of U.S. adults overall, 44% of women and 61% of men are satisfied with the treatment of women in society. Each is at or near the lowest on record. Women's satisfaction was at the majority level until 2018, after the #MeToo movement exploded in the U.S.
View That Men and Women Have Equal Job Opportunities Lowest in Two Decades
Americans' views of women's equality in the workforce were not immediately affected by the #MeToo movement, showing no change between 2016 and 2018, but they are nonetheless the lowest since 2002. In 1987, when Â鶹´«Ã½AV first gauged opinions on this question, 48% of U.S. adults believed women and men had equal work opportunities. By 1995, the reading had fallen to 34%, but it increased to a high of 57% in 2007 and 2008.
Women have consistently been much less likely than men to think they are achieving parity in job opportunities, but the latest 28-point gender gap is the largest on record and attributable to a seven-point drop among women. The 33% of women who currently think their gender has equal job opportunities as men is the lowest in two decades.
Line chart. Percentages of U.S. adults, women and men feel that women in the U.S. have equal job opportunities as men since 1987. Currently, 47% of U.S. adults overall, 33% of women and 61% of men think men and women have equal job opportunities. Since 2018, women's belief that there is gender equality in job opportunities has fallen seven points.
Support for Affirmative Action Programs for Women Has Risen Consistently
While majorities of Americans have favored affirmative action programs for women in each of the six readings since 2001, the latest 66% is the highest by one point. Likewise, the 72% of women who currently support such programs is the highest for them, and the 61% among men matches their 2018 high.
Line chart. Percentages of U.S. adults, women and men who favor affirmative action programs for women since 2001. Currently, 66% of U.S. adults, 72% of women and 61% of men favor these programs. Each reading is at or above its highest on record.
In the same survey, support for affirmative action for racial minorities is at a high of 62%. Support for affirmative action programs for women has outpaced such support for racial minorities throughout the entire trend.
Views of Gender Equality Issues Differ Based on Age, Race and Party Identification
There are significant differences in views of gender equality in the U.S. based on age, race and the political party identification of men and women.
Women younger than 50 are the most critical of gender equality issues. They are the least satisfied with the treatment of women in society, the least likely to say men and women have equal opportunities in the workplace, and the most supportive of affirmative action programs for women.
On the other hand, men aged 50 and older are the most satisfied with the treatment of women and the least likely to favor affirmative action for women. Views of whether women and men have equal job opportunities do not differ among age groups for men.
| Satisfied with women's treatment | Say women/men have equal job opportunities | Favor affirmative action for women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| Men, 18-49 | 55 | 61 | 67 |
| Women, 18-49 | 36 | 27 | 77 |
| Men, 50+ | 68 | 62 | 53 |
| Women, 50+ | 52 | 38 | 69 |
| Â鶹´«Ã½AV, June 1-July 5, 2021 | |||
Looking at gender and race together, White adults tend to be more satisfied with women's treatment than their Black and Hispanic counterparts are. White adults are also more likely than Black adults to think equal job opportunities exist for men and women.
Within each racial/ethnic group, women are less satisfied than men; however, the gender gaps by race/ethnicity are larger among White Americans than among Black and Hispanic Americans.
| Satisfied with women's treatment | Say women/men have equal job opportunities | Favor affirmative action for women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| White men | 68 | 65 | 51 |
| White women | 46 | 33 | 69 |
| Black men | 41 | 42 | 71 |
| Black women | 38 | 21 | 68 |
| Hispanic men | 50 | 59 | 85 |
| Hispanic women | 43 | 47 | 81 |
| Â鶹´«Ã½AV, June 1-July 5, 2021 | |||
In contrast to the gender differences seen within various age and racial/ethnic groups, only slight gender gaps are seen among Republicans and Democrats while wide differences exist among independents. This indicates that many of the other demographic differences are largely a function of party. Where party is not a major influence -- among independents -- gender seems to be the key influence.
Majorities of Republican men and women say they are satisfied with the treatment of women and believe there is gender equality in job opportunities, while less than half of each group supports affirmative action programs for women.
Democratic men and women also express similar views of gender equality, with less than four in 10 satisfied with women's treatment and even fewer believing gender equality exists in job opportunities. Men and women who identify as Democrats also largely back affirmative action programs for women.
| Satisfied with women's treatment | Say women/men have equal job opportunities | Favor affirmative action for women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| Republican men | 79 | 79 | 40 |
| Republican women | 72 | 59 | 48 |
| Independent men | 62 | 68 | 60 |
| Independent women | 41 | 36 | 74 |
| Democratic men | 39 | 26 | 85 |
| Democratic women | 32 | 13 | 84 |
| Â鶹´«Ã½AV, June 1-July 5, 2021 | |||
Bottom Line
The effect of the #MeToo movement in the U.S. persists. Women's satisfaction with societal treatment of their gender is historically low and certainly has not improved even with greater awareness and sensitivity to workplace harassment and other gender equity issues. Likewise, Americans' belief that there is gender equality in the job market is low, and support for affirmative action programs for women is at its highest point in Â鶹´«Ã½AV's trend.
In March, President Joe Biden created the White House Gender Policy Council in an effort to advance "gender equity and equal rights and opportunity for women and girls." However, it is too soon to know whether this council will meaningfully impact what so many women see as a problem.
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