Gender inequality in the workplace spans harassment, pay gaps, and barriers to advancement. Across 2023–2022 data, many women report discrimination—while women are also less represented in leadership and can face pay penalties tied to motherhood. Explore how bias can show up in hiring outcomes and STEM opportunities, how compensation differs for comparable work, and how leave and childcare responsibilities influence career progression.
Key Takeaways
- Globally, 71% of women experience sexual harassment at work 2023
- US 81% women report gender discrimination at work 2023
- EU 58% women faced harassment or discrimination 2022
- US women promoted at lower rates: 86 women per 100 men 2023
- In hiring, women receive 30% fewer callbacks for same CVs with male names US 2021
- EU audit study shows 11% bias against women in hiring 2022
- Women executives in Fortune 500 earn 93 cents per dollar to male peers in 2023
- Globally, women hold just 27% of managerial positions in 2023
- In the US, women comprise only 10.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs in 2023
- Globally, the gender pay gap stands at 20% in 2023, with women earning 80 cents for every dollar men earn for similar work
- In the United States, women earned 84% of men's median weekly earnings in 2022, equating to a 16% pay gap
- In the EU, the unadjusted gender pay gap was 12.7% in 2021, varying from 0.5% in Romania to 25.3% in Latvia
- Globally, mothers face 4% wage penalty per child in hiring-adjusted models 2023
- US women take 12 weeks unpaid maternity leave on average, men 2 weeks 2023
- EU countries with paid leave show 10% smaller pay gap 2022
Across regions, women face widespread harassment, discrimination, and pay gaps, limiting advancement at work.
Related reading
- Diversity Equity And Inclusion In IndustryGender Equality In The Workplace Statistics
- Social Issues Societal TrendsGender Inequality In The United States Statistics
- Diversity Equity And Inclusion In IndustryGender Discrimination In Workplace Statistics
- Diversity Equity And Inclusion In IndustryGender Inequality Statistics
01 · Category
Harassment And Discrimination29 stats
01
Globally, 71% of women experience sexual harassment at work 2023
02
US 81% women report gender discrimination at work 2023
03
EU 58% women faced harassment or discrimination 2022
04
UK 52% women experienced harassment 2023
05
India 79% women face workplace harassment 2022
06
Australia 33% women sexually harassed at work 2023
07
Japan 30% women report harassment 2023
08
Canada 43% women experienced discrimination 2023
09
South Africa 40% women face gender violence at work 2022
10
Brazil 48% women report moral harassment 2023
11
Germany 25% women sexual harassment claims 2023
12
France 28% women victim of sexism at work 2023
13
Mexico 66% women faced violence or harassment 2022
14
Tech industry 50% women report microaggressions weekly 2023
15
US 44% women quit due to discrimination 2023
16
Finance 42% women bias experiences 2023
17
Healthcare 35% nurses report gender harassment 2023 US
18
Academia 38% women faculty discrimination 2023
19
Retail 55% women verbal abuse 2023
20
STEM 45% women hostile climate 2023
21
Manufacturing 60% women harassment in male-dominated sites 2023
22
Hospitality 70% women sexual advances 2023
23
Legal 31% women sexism 2023
24
Media 49% women online harassment affecting work 2023
25
Consulting 29% women exclusion 2023
26
Education 27% teachers gender bias 2023 US
27
Non-profits 36% women power imbalances 2023
28
Energy 50% women field harassment 2023
29
Pharma 24% women lab discrimination 2023
Interpretation
Harassment And Discrimination Interpretation
Across regions, harassment and discrimination remain widespread with 71% of women reporting sexual harassment at work globally in 2023 and rates ranging up to 81% in the US and 79% in India, showing the issue is persistent rather than isolated.
02 · Category
Hiring Discrimination30 stats
01
US women promoted at lower rates: 86 women per 100 men 2023
02
In hiring, women receive 30% fewer callbacks for same CVs with male names US 2021
03
EU audit study shows 11% bias against women in hiring 2022
04
UK recruiters favor men for STEM jobs by 13% in field experiments 2023
05
India tech hiring: Women get 20% fewer interviews 2022
06
Australia shows 18% motherhood hiring penalty 2023
07
Japan female applicants 15% less likely for managerial roles 2022
08
Canada bias: Women 10% less callbacks in male-dominated fields 2023
09
South Africa hiring discrimination against women 25% in mining 2022
10
Brazil formal sector women 12% less likely hired post-maternity 2023
11
Germany callback rates 7% lower for women in engineering 2022
12
France shows 9% bias in promotions mimicking hiring 2023
13
Mexico women in manufacturing face 22% hiring gap 2022
14
Global tech: Women 25% underrepresented in new hires 2023
15
US orchestras blind auditions increased women hires by 25% since 1970s
16
Finance entry-level women hired at 45% rate vs men 2023
17
Healthcare admin roles show no bias but clinical 15% 2023 US
18
Academia tenure-track women 33% less offers US 2022
19
Retail management trainee women hired 10% less 2023
20
STEM PhD job market women 20% fewer offers 2023
21
Manufacturing apprenticeships women 5% participation 2023
22
Hospitality front-line to manager women stalled at 40% 2023
23
Law firms first-year associates 50% women but partner track drops
24
Media journalism hires women 40% but editors 25% 2023
25
Consulting analyst hires 48% women globally 2023
26
Education principals hiring favors men 15% US 2023
27
Non-profits entry-level 60% women but exec hires 40% 2023
28
Energy engineering hires women 12% 2023
29
Pharma sales reps 70% women but R&D 30% hires 2023
30
AI/ML roles women hired at 22% rate 2023
Interpretation
Hiring Discrimination Interpretation
Across multiple countries, hiring discrimination shows up as a consistent disadvantage for women, such as the US where women get 30% fewer callbacks on the same CVs with male names and India where women receive 20% fewer interviews, reinforcing that bias begins at the earliest hiring stage.
03 · Category
Leadership Representation30 stats
01
Women executives in Fortune 500 earn 93 cents per dollar to male peers in 2023
02
Globally, women hold just 27% of managerial positions in 2023
03
In the US, women comprise only 10.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs in 2023
04
EU boards have 33% women directors in 2023, up from 25% in 2019
05
UK FTSE 100 companies have 38% women on boards in 2023
06
In India, women hold 8% of board seats in top companies 2023
07
Australia ASX 200 boards reach 35% women in 2023
08
Japan has 12% women in executive roles in large firms 2023
09
Canada S&P/TSX 60 has 33% women directors 2023
10
South Africa JSE top 100 has 28% women on boards 2023
11
Brazil B3 index boards have 15% women 2023
12
Germany DAX 40 companies have 25% women executives 2023
13
France CAC 40 mandates 40% women on boards, achieving 39% in 2023
14
Tech giants like FAANG have under 30% women in leadership 2023
15
US women are 28% of senior VP roles but only 8% C-suite in 2023
16
Black women hold 1.6% of Fortune 500 C-suite positions 2023
17
Latina women are 1.2% of corporate officers in US 2023
18
In finance, women are 19% of executives globally 2023
19
Healthcare C-suites have 22% women in US 2023
20
Academia: Women are 27% of full professors in US 2022
21
Retail executives: Women 25% in top roles US 2023
22
STEM leadership: Women 15% department heads globally 2023
23
Manufacturing C-level: 18% women worldwide 2023
24
Hospitality CEOs: 22% women in major chains 2023
25
Legal partners: Women 25% in top firms US 2023
26
Media execs: 27% women in news leadership 2023
27
Consulting partners: 20% women globally 2023
28
Education admins: Women 54% principals but 30% superintendents US 2023
29
Non-profits: 45% women CEOs but lower pay 2023
30
Energy sector execs: 17% women 2023
Interpretation
Leadership Representation Interpretation
Across countries, women’s leadership remains markedly underrepresented with only 27% of managerial roles globally and just 10.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs in the US, even as some regions like the EU boards rise to 33% women directors in 2023 from 25% in 2019.
More related reading
04 · Category
Pay Gap30 stats
01
Globally, the gender pay gap stands at 20% in 2023, with women earning 80 cents for every dollar men earn for similar work
02
In the United States, women earned 84% of men's median weekly earnings in 2022, equating to a 16% pay gap
03
In the EU, the unadjusted gender pay gap was 12.7% in 2021, varying from 0.5% in Romania to 25.3% in Latvia
04
UK women face a 14.9% median hourly gender pay gap in 2023, excluding overtime
05
In India, the gender pay gap is 19% in urban areas for salaried employees as of 2022
06
Australian full-time working women earn 21.7% less than men on average in 2023
07
In Japan, women earn 74.5% of men's wages in 2022, a 25.5% gap
08
Canadian women working full-time earn 87.9 cents per dollar men earn in 2022
09
South African gender pay gap is 23% for formal sector workers in 2022
10
In Brazil, women earn 78.7% of men's average salary in 2022
11
German unadjusted gender pay gap was 18% in 2022
12
In France, women earn 15.5% less than men per hour worked in 2021
13
Mexican women face a 15.3% gender pay gap in formal employment in 2022
14
In the tech industry worldwide, women earn 6% less than men for equivalent roles in 2023
15
US Black women earn 64 cents for every dollar white men earn in 2022
16
Latina women in the US earn 57 cents per white male dollar in 2022
17
In finance, women earn 27% less than men globally in 2023
18
Nursing shows a reverse gap but overall healthcare women earn 74% of men's pay in US 2022
19
In academia, female assistant professors earn 8% less than males in US 2021
20
Retail sector women in US face 12% pay gap controlling for hours in 2022
21
In STEM fields, US women earn 30% less over career due to gaps in 2023
22
Manufacturing women globally earn 18% less in 2022
23
Hospitality industry shows 22% gender pay gap worldwide 2023
24
Legal profession women earn 77% of men partners' pay in US 2022
25
Media and entertainment women directors earn 40% less per film in 2023
26
In consulting, women earn 12% less at senior levels globally 2023
27
Education sector K-12 teachers show 5% gap but admins 15% in US 2022
28
Non-profit sector women CEOs earn 30% less than male counterparts US 2023
29
In energy sector, women earn 14% less globally 2022
30
Pharmaceutical industry women earn 10% less in R&D roles US 2023
Interpretation
Pay Gap Interpretation
The pay gap persists globally, ranging from a 12.7% unadjusted gap in the EU in 2021 to 20% worldwide in 2023, showing women still earn roughly 80 cents for every man’s dollar for similar work.
05 · Category
Work Life Balance30 stats
01
Globally, mothers face 4% wage penalty per child in hiring-adjusted models 2023
02
US women take 12 weeks unpaid maternity leave on average, men 2 weeks 2023
03
EU countries with paid leave show 10% smaller pay gap 2022
04
UK statutory maternity pay covers 90% of women but childcare gap persists 2023
05
India has no national paid maternity leave enforcement issues 2023
06
Australia paid parental leave 20 weeks but uptake by fathers 15% 2023
07
Japan paternity leave uptake 14% despite policy 2023
08
Canada parental leave 50 weeks shared but women take 85% 2023
09
South Africa 4 months maternity paid at 66% salary 2023
10
Brazil 120 days maternity leave but no paternity until recent 2023
11
Germany Elterngeld up to 14 months but women primary caregivers 2023
12
France 16 weeks maternity + shared parental 2023
13
Mexico 12 weeks maternity 100% paid 2023
14
US no federal paid leave, 23% women can't afford post-birth 2023
15
Tech firms offer 16 weeks parental but women 2x likely part-time post 2023
16
Finance women 30% reduce hours post-child vs 10% men 2023
17
Healthcare shift workers women 40% primary childcare 2023 US
18
Academia tenure clock women more extensions needed 2023
19
Retail part-time trap women 60% post-motherhood 2023
20
STEM women leave field 2x rate post-child 2023
21
Manufacturing shift penalties hit women 25% more 2023
22
Hospitality flexible hours but women 70% low-wage part-time 2023
23
Law firms billable hours women drop 20% post-motherhood 2023
24
Media freelancers women 50% post-family 2023
25
Consulting travel demands cause 15% women attrition post-kids 2023
26
Education teachers 80% women but admin flexible less 2023
27
Non-profits burnout women 2x due caregiving 2023
28
Energy remote work women 20% less access 2023
29
Pharma lab hours inflexible for mothers 2023
30
Childcare costs 20% income for US working mothers 2023
Interpretation
Work Life Balance Interpretation
Work life balance still unevenly favors parents of different genders, with mothers losing 4% in wages per child globally while average US leave remains sharply split at 12 weeks unpaid for women versus 2 weeks for men.
report visual · Key figures
Workplace harassment and discrimination affects women worldwide
In recent surveys, the share of women reporting workplace harassment or discrimination is high across multiple regions and countries.
71%
Globally, 71% of women experience sexual harassment at work 2023
81%
US 81% women report gender discrimination at work 2023
58%
EU 58% women faced harassment or discrimination 2022
52%
UK 52% women experienced harassment 2023
79%
India 79% women face workplace harassment 2022
33%
Australia 33% women sexually harassed at work 2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Gender Inequality In The Workplace Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gender-inequality-in-the-workplace-statistics
MLA
Thomas Lindqvist. "Gender Inequality In The Workplace Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gender-inequality-in-the-workplace-statistics.
Chicago
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Gender Inequality In The Workplace Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gender-inequality-in-the-workplace-statistics.
Sources & references
83 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level