Sexism in the workplace: how do male employees feel?

Is the fight against everyday sexism progressing in companies that train or raise awareness among their employees on this issue? The third barometer from the #StOpE collective highlights progress, and the (long) road still to travel.

Last January, 19 large companies from the #StOpE collective, committed internally to addressing the issue of sexism, sent a questionnaire to their employees to measure the situation and its evolution. 132,000 responded—70,000 women and 60,000 men. In this column, we'll focus primarily on the men's responses.

First lesson: one in two men report having attended a training or awareness session offered by their organization, which means the other half have not taken the necessary steps. It's worth noting that women's participation in these sessions is no better. However, these actions appear beneficial, as half of men say they have been more attentive to sexist remarks and behaviors around them in recent years. 43% also believe they are more vigilant about their own behavior. Finally, nearly 9 out of 10 men recognize that sexism has harmful consequences for those who experience it, particularly on their self-confidence.

The results show that the perception of sexist behavior in the workplace remains low among male employees, while the manifestations are less visible and more subtle.

In a meeting, for example, only 9 to 13% of men say they have witnessed a situation where a woman was not listened to or was interrupted because she is a woman. Or where her idea was taken over and validated by another speaker. Or where she was explained a subject in which she is an expert. Or where she was asked to take notes. Yet, a third of women say they have experienced these situations, regardless of their age.

Another example: only 4% of men have ever noticed that a colleague received a lower raise than she deserved because she is a woman, while 32% of women say they have personally experienced this.

"Men and women agree that companies must combat sexism, but their assessment of the concrete manifestations diverges, as do the means to achieve this." This is the analysis of Brigitte Grézy, an expert on equality issues. Men advocate employee training first, while women call for sanctions.

Men are overwhelmingly opposed to quotas for leadership positions, unlike women. Finally, nearly 4 out of 10 men believe that the promotion of gender equality currently results in discrimination against men.

For Brigitte Grézy, these results show that there is still much to do to achieve real equality between women and men.