A new nationwide study shows that 44% of Gen Z women experience harassment or inappropriate behavior at work.
During Women’s History Month, the Trump administration banned or restricted hundreds of words, including “women,” “equality,” and “feminism,” pushing back against women’s progress. Meanwhile, a survey of 2,000 young Americans by EduBirdie exposes alarming challenges young women still face in the workplace and beyond.
Gen Z is known for pushing social justice and gender equality forward, with “feminist” no longer being a scary label, even for the majority of men. A new survey of 2,000 Americans aged 20-28 by EduBirdie shows that 83% of Gen Z women and 59% of Gen Z men consider themselves at least somewhat feminist.
While this generation is more progressive than past generations, harmful beliefs persist. A survey shows that 44% of Gen Z men think women earn less due to incompetence, and one in six still wouldn’t vote for a female president. Additionally, 36% of Gen Z men believe gender equality has already been achieved, while one in three dismiss the gender pay gap as a myth.
However, Gen Z women prove them wrong, with 61% reporting workplace bias, including sexist jokes or stereotypes (47%), harassment or inappropriate behavior (44%), and lower pay than colleagues of another gender (22%). One in seven Gen Z women has been questioned about their parenting plans in a job interview, and one in three has felt judged for how they balance their career and family.
Commenting on the results, Avery Morgan, Chief HR Officer at EduBirdie, says: "Gen Z is driving meaningful change, building on decades of women fighting for their rights. With all this progress, it’s no surprise that Gen Z women are less likely to quit their jobs to support a high-earning partner (65%) compared to Gen Z men (72%).
But we are still far from achieving gender equality in the workplace, as sexism, harassment, the pay gap, and motherhood penalties continue to persist, impacting women’s self-worth. In fact, 1 in 4 women still doubt their competence compared to men in certain fields. Overcoming these challenges will take sustained effort.”
To make it a reality, Gen Z women call for reforms like menstrual leave (78%), stronger anti-harassment policies (66%), equal parental leave (64%), and transparent salary policies (60%).
You can find the full study here.
