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# Research
Some new fathers fear taking parental leave will hamper their chances of promotion
28% of people working in technical roles believe fathers may be viewed as less committed to their job if they take full parental leave.
ALMOST 40% OF people working in technical roles believe that new fathers don’t take the full parental leave they are entitled to because they fear an adverse impact on their finances.
Meanwhile, 28% said it was because fathers think they may be viewed as less committed to their job.
The findings published in Hays Ireland’s gender diversity report 2017 found that 26% of both men and women believe fathers don’t take the full leave they are entitled to because parental leave is still viewed as the exclusive domain of the woman.
250 men and women working in specialist and technical roles across Ireland were surveyed for the report.
Gender inequality
Along with the parental leave attitude, more than half of all employees (57%) agreed that there is some form of gender equality or equal opportunity imbalance at their organisation.
Three-quarters of both men and women feel they have the opportunity to promote their skills and progress their careers in their workplace.
Despite this, over a third of female respondents said they feel they don’t have the same career opportunities as their equally capable male colleagues. 59% of men said they believe their female colleagues were paid and rewarded in an equal manner, while just 17% of women agreed.
The report acknowledged that a key part of combating gender inequality in the workplace is the prioritisation of diversity and inclusion programmes.
Over half (54%) of those surveyed said these programmes are an important part of helping their organisation attract and retain the best talent. The report found that 29% of job applicants consider their target company’s diversity policies before submitting their CV.
Flexible work hours
Making way for diversity and inclusion went hand in hand with greater availability of flexible working options.
90% of employees said flexible working was a benefit for them in their organisation, and 46% believe that it allowed greater representation of women in senior roles.
However, just like men and parental leave, when it comes to actually availing of flexible working options, men and women alike believe that it could harm their career advancement prospects.
When asked if flexible working is a career-limiting move for women, 75% of women and 59% of men agreed. When the same question was asked about men, 64% of women and 64% of men said it was career-limiting.
“This is certainly room for improvement,” Richard Eardley, managing director of Hays Ireland said.
“While an organisation’s employees all need to work together to create a workplace culture that welcomes diversity and inclusion, it’s ultimately up to senior management to properly formulate and execute diversity programmes,” he said.
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