As many as four in ten female executives in Galway believe they have missed out on a raise or promotion due to gender, according to a new survey conducted by Galway Chamber.
A further 46% said their gender had also played a role in their missing out on a key assignment and more than half (56%) believe it impacted on a chance to get ahead.
One in five female executives also believe their gender had resulted in missing out on one or more of these opportunities over the last year.
Three out of eight women who are executives also feel that they are not treated equally in their current workplace.
The results come from a Galway Chamber survey of more than 100 Galway-based corporate leaders and executives, which was carried out in advance of International Women’s Day.
More positively, almost two out of three (64%) female executives say they have seen a rise in the number of female corporate leaders in their company or organisation in recent times.
62% believe that gender equality has increased in Ireland in the last year.
Another positive finding was that 92% of female executives said they believe women have achieved more equal rights in the workplace over the last ten to 15 years.
Three out of eight also said that attitudes and awareness of sexual harassment in their places of work have evolved positively in the last year.
Speaking in reaction to the survey, Galway Chamber President Dermot Nolan said that there is very clearly still a lot of work to be done across Galway to better promote gender equality in the workplace.
“That so many female executives believe their gender has played a role in missing out on a raise, or a promotion or a chance to get ahead is not acceptable. This simply shouldn’t be happening in this day and age,” he said.
“The onus is on all people in leadership positions to help address this and bring about more equitable workplaces.
“The Galway corporate community needs to strive to ensure that gender never negatively impacts on anyone’s career advancement or the professional opportunities available to them.
“This is in the interest of everyone working in Galway to promote and I hope by creating more awareness of the issues facing female executives we all as a community will take further concrete action to level the playing field.”
