Many Republicans Think Gender Equality Has Come Far Enough, Thank You Very Much

Lean In's 2017 Women in the Workplace report shows (maybe unsurprisingly) how complacent much of corporate America is when it comes to working toward gender equality.

Men were much more likely to believe their workplaces were equitable and supportive settings. They were also much less likely to believe that their gender made it harder to get a raise, promotion, or chance to get ahead (15% of men compared to 39% of women), or that gender played a role in their missing out on opportunities (8% of men compared to 37% of women). Apparently, the same disconnect is occurring in politics.

According to a new report by Pew Research Center, there's a big partisan divide on political lines on the topic of gender equality. While 69% of Democrats say the country "hasn't gone far enough" to ensure that women have equal rights to men, only 26% of Republicans says the same, with 54% believing things are "about right," and 18% (compared to 4% of Dems) believing things have "gone too far."

"Democrats are also much more likely than Republicans to say that men have easier lives than women these days," the report says; "49% of Democrats say this compared with 19% of Republicans. Most Republicans (68%) say neither men nor women have it easier today (compared with 45% of Democrats). Those who see an advantage for men often say these inequities are rooted in the workplace."

However, lest anyone jump to conclusions about Democrats automatically being more progressive, Pew also analyzed the degree to which each party viewed changes in gender roles as advantageous.

More Democrats saw shifting gender roles as advantageous in terms of women and men leading satisfying lives, having successful marriages, and families earning enough money to live comfortably. But both parties were largely on par in thinking that changes in gender roles would lead to families being better off financially and women to be more successful at work. For men though, only 23% of Republicans believed that changing gender roles have made it easier for men to be successful at work, compared to 27% of Democrats.

Fortune points out that education levels also impact how readily members of a political party embrace gender equality. "While 81% of bachelor's degree holders and 73% of those with some college experience say the country needs to do more on this front, just 55% of those with a high school diploma or less say the same," Claire Zillman writes. (Republicans' views are consistent across education levels.)

Plus, as women are hardly monolithic, nearly three-quarters of women who are Democrats (74%) say "the country hasn't gone far enough" to achieve gender equality, compared to one-third of Republican women.