Does gender disparity exist in eCommerce businesses?

Does gender disparity exist in specific areas of eCommerce businesses? Recently, we explored gender equality when it came to eCommerce salaries, where a noticeable gap at all seniority levels. This widened as we moved up the seniority ladder - resulting in 47% of respondents saying they were unsure if they were paid fairly.

Salary equality remains an important topic, though we wanted to know if professionals felt disparity in other areas of their careers and their current company. We asked respondents to identify any disparities within their own businesses to illustrate the industry's perspective on DEI. Let's find out what they had to say...

What areas of the industry, if any, do respondents experience gender disparity?

We provided several options to our respondents to gauge how they feel compared to other genders. 49% shared that they felt there was no gender disparity in the business whatsoever. This leaves a significant 51% who had some things to get off their chest. Respondents were invited to select all that applied so we could collect as much insight as possible.

• Leadership opportunities: 30% of respondents felt that they did not have the same opportunities for leadership roles as others. Of this particular group of respondents, 68% were women. It indicates the ongoing challenges women face in advancing to top positions, despite the industry's growth and emphasis on diversity and inclusion.
• Career progression: This of course goes hand in hand with leadership opportunities, so it seems career growth is a big talking point when it comes to gender disparity. 26% of respondents selected this option. 
• Workplace recognition: 22% believed that there is a lack of recognition for their efforts in comparison to other genders. 58% of this segment were women. If people don't feel recognised for their efforts, it will quickly create discontent. 
• Salary: 21% feel that gender parity exists in their business and its remuneration distribution. 69% of this segment were women. This highlights the persistent gender gap in across seniority levels, despite the industry's progress in other areas.

These specific areas have one running theme in that the respondents who feel this disparity clearly don't feel they have a chance to grow within their business. Tackling this requires sustained efforts to promote fair advancement opportunities and to support career growth for all employees, regardless of gender.

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