Most Britons think more needs to be done on gender equality

Key takeaways

  • Britons think more needs to be done in key areas of women’s rights.
  • Most are in favour of government-led initiatives like requiring blind hiring and classes for boys educating them on misogyny
  • Reform and Conservative voters are much less likely to think more needs to be done on gender equality than their Labour, Lib Dem and Green-voting counterparts

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Give to Gain’, key components of which are giving support, questioning bias, calling out stereotypes, and challenging discrimination. Ahead of this, new YouGov research explores in which areas the public think gender equality has been achieved and examines the level of support for various government- and individual-level measures to improve women’s rights.

In what areas does more need to be done for women’s rights?

Approximately half (50%) of Britons think more needs to be done when it comes to gender equality, with around a fifth saying that it has already been achieved (19%) or has gone too far (22%).

When it comes to ten more specific areas we asked about, the plurality or majority view for each is that more needs to be done. This is particularly the case for addressing sexual misconduct, with nearly three-quarters (72%) saying so, as well as addressing sexism and misogyny in schools (63%).

Last month, the Trade Union Congress warned that the gender pay gap will not close in the next thirty years if progress remains at the current rate. The British public largely share this sentiment, with six in ten (59%) saying that more needs to be done to achieve equal gender pay in Britain. Likewise, most people think more needs to be done to help support women’s health in the workplace (58%) and achieving an equal gender balance in the workforce (52%).

Achieving an equal gender balance in politics and the media come at the bottom of the list, although here too, 46% and 40% respectively still think more needs to be done. In no area do more than 29% think equality has been achieved.

What government-level measures on gender equality do Britons support?

Government legislation has been key to efforts to improve gender equality, with key measures including the Equal Pay Act in 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act in 1975, and more recently the 2010 Equality Act and 2017 Gender Pay Gap Reporting Regulations.

Further progress will undoubtedly require additional equality laws, and our poll shows that the public support seven of eight measures we asked about. A requirement for all employees at a company with the same job title and responsibilities to receive equal wages stands out as the most popular, at 86%.

With safeguarding minister Jess Phillips saying that violence against women and girls is a “national emergency”, and the government outlining plans to tackle misogyny in schools, 64% of Britons support mandatory classes for boys on the issue. Similarly popular are equal prize money for male and female sports competitors (67%), requiring blind hiring practices (65%), and requiring equal gender representation in the media (63%).

The only policy we asked about that was not primarily supported is requiring political parties to ensure 50% of the candidates in winnable seats are women, which only 35% support while 45% oppose.

What measures are the public willing to take themselves?

With giving support and challenging stereotypes central to this year’s International Women’s Day theme, the public claim that they would be comfortable intervening in five of six scenarios we asked about.

Most Britons say they feel comfortable challenging their close friends and family members if they use sexist language or display sexist attitudes, with three-quarters (75-76%) saying they would feel comfortable.

Most (55%) claim to feel comfortable intervening if they saw a woman being physically or verbally intimidated on public transport, but notably fewer say they would feel comfortable intervening if they saw a woman being cat-called.

How do men and women’s opinions differ on gender equality?

Women are significantly more likely to think that more needs to be done on gender equality both in general and across each of the ten areas we asked about, as well as being more likely to support each of the eight government-level measures to tackle gender inequality.

Although ‘more needs to be done’ is the most common answer among both men and women when asked about gender equality in general, a majority of women (59%) say this, compared to only four in ten men (40%).

The areas with the biggest disparity in opinion between genders are support for women’s health in the workplace, equal household responsibilities, and equal gender balance at work. In each case, women are 25-26 percentage points more likely than men to say ‘more needs to be done’.

When it comes to government measures, while women are more likely to support all proposals than men, men still tend to favour each of them, with two exceptions: requiring parties to ensure that 50% of candidates in winnable seats are women (men oppose by 58% to 26%), and targets for equal numbers of men and women in companies’ senior leadership teams (which they oppose by 51% to 34%).

Reform voters most likely to say efforts to achieve gender equality have gone too far

The results also show that Reform and Conservative voters are much less likely to think more needs to be done on gender equality than other voters.

Whilst most Labour, Lib Dem, and Green voters (67-81%) think more needs to be done for gender equality in general, Conservative voters are split between this view (34%) and the opinion that gender equality efforts have gone too far (32%). Among Reform voters, however, less than a fifth (19%) believe that more needs to be done, with nearly half (49%) saying that it has gone too far.

Reform supporters are also most likely to oppose government policies to combat gender inequality. Almost three times as many say they would oppose giving female workers the right to take paid time off for period pain (64%) than support it (22%). Such a law was introduced in Spain in 2023 and has majority support among 2024 Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters (58-76% support).

Similarly, Reform voters say they would oppose rather than support requiring schools to introduce classes for boys educating them on misogyny (50% vs 38%), requiring political parties to ensure 50% of the candidates in winnable seats are women (62% vs 21%) and requiring targets for equal numbers of men and women in companies’ senior leadership teams (57% oppose vs 27% support).

Older Britons less likely to say that more needs to be done on gender equality

While all age groups believe more needs to be done on gender equality, a larger proportion of Gen Z (69%) have this view than those in older age groups (40-53%).

Whilst there are similar views across generations on measures such as requiring equal prize money for male and female athletes / teams in major competitions, the age groups differ most on whether female workers should be given the right to paid time off for period pain. While Baby Boomers are divided on the issue (38% support while 43% oppose), support for the policy grows with each generation, to 72% among Gen Z.

Gen Z also claim to be more willing to take action in their personal lives than Baby Boomers, with 72% saying they are willing to use gender-neutral language, and 55% saying they are prepared to donate to gender equality causes. By contrast, most Baby Boomers are unwilling to donate to a gender equality cause (58%) and are split on whether they would be willing to use gender-neutral language, with 45% saying they would be but 44% saying they would not.

See the full results here

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