A quarter of Australians (25 per cent) believe it will take up to 10 years to achieve true gender equality, according to a nationally representative study of 1,000 adults by by global media and technology company Pureprofile.
Almost another quarter (24 per cent) of Australians believe that gender equality in the lucky country has already been achieved. This number is largely made up by male respondents, with 30 percent of men feeling that Australia has already achieved true gender equality, as opposed to just 17 per cent of women.
Despite these contrasting opinions of whether true gender equality has been achieved or not, it’s clear that both genders are champions of fairness, with 95 per cent of women and 92 percent of men saying that they do believe in equal rights for men and women.
The difference between age ranges and their opinions on gender equality was not too dissimilar, with the main insights being that those aged 45-54 were the most likely to vote “never” when asked how long it will take for Australia to achieve true gender equality.
Social media and industry movements such as #metoo and Time’s Up also received mixed levels of support, with 32 percent of women strongly supporting the initiatives, while 15 percent did not. Likewise, 19 percent of men were strong supporters, with 18 percent not supporting the movements at all. The strongest supporters were those aged 18-24 years (38 percent), with those aged over 65 being the least likely to back the initiatives (24 percent)
On a positive note, it seems mother knows best, with 47 percent of men and 43 percent of women voting their mothers as the number one female inspiration in their life. Grandmothers were the next family members held in esteem (6 per cent), followed by daughters (5 per cent).
Sadly, 23 percent of women voted that they don’t have any female role models, compared to only 18 percent of men.
Pureprofile CEO, Nic Jones said: “This study was a fascinating insight into how men and women both see gender equality and its current status. It’s incredibly positive to see over 90 percent of men and women champion equal rights, but it seems people can’t quite agree with where we’re currently at as a nation. A quarter of respondents claimed that Australia will take up to 10 years to achieve true gender equality, which is almost the same number as those who believe we’ve already achieved it.”
“While younger respondents and women were more likely to support social initiatives like #metoo and Time’s Up, it was clear that age and gender are not too much of a factor when it comes to gender equality sentiments. To understand and react to behaviour and sentiment surrounding social issues, sometimes it’s better to research and group by ‘shared values’ rather than traditional age/gender demographics. This study is a great example of this.”
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