10% of Guernsey men say they do not see gender inequality here

A survey of thousands of people across Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man has revealed attitudes towards the issue of gender inequality – and notable differences in the three islands.

In Guernsey, 11% of male respondents said gender inequality did not exist at all, compared with 2% of female respondents.

In Jersey, 13% of male and 3% of female respondents said it was not an issue.

The attitudes in the Isle of Man were markedly different, with 23% of men who took part in the research saying no gender inequality existed along with 5% of female respondents.

The research by Island Global Research also broke down the findings to gauge the strength of people’s feelings on gender inequality.

In Guernsey, 25% of those who took part said there was a ‘great deal’ of gender inequality. A further 48% believed it existed to ‘some extent’. Those same percentages were also reported in Jersey.

In the Isle of Man, 15% overall thought there was a great deal of inequality and a further 46% believed that was to some extent.

Broken down by age group, 30% of under-40s in the Guernsey survey said there was a great deal of gender equality compared with 24% in the 40-64 age bracket and 17% in the 65-plus group.

Those figures in Jersey were 36%, 23% and 17% respectively.

In the Isle of Man, 19% of under-40s said there was a lot of gender inequality compared with 17% in the 40-64 range and 9% for the over-65s.

When it came to specific areas, 66% of Guernsey respondents believed more needed to be done to close the gender pay gap. Some 65% said action was needed against violence and sexual harassment. Similar statistics were found in the Jersey part of the research.

In the Isle of Man, 56% wanted action to close the gender pay gap, with 53% backing policies and initiatives to address violence and sexual harassment.

In Guernsey, one in five respondents were opposed to the use of policies and initiatives to promote gender equality, while 59% supported such action.

One in four respondents in Jersey were similarly opposed, while 55% backed the use of policies and initiatives to promote gender equality.

The Isle of Man figures in this area were 24% opposing the use of such policies and 56% in favour.

Other areas flagged by the survey included more female representation in politics as well as workplace practices, such as equal parental leave and flexible working, for both parents.

The online survey was completed by 2,064 residents in the three islands between 27 April and 7 May.

'Press letter on gender issues did not affect results

GENDER equality remains a controversial topic, says Island Global Research managing director Lindsay Jefferies.

In presenting the results of its survey across Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, she remarked heightened attention on the topic following the publication of a controversial letter in the Guernsey Press in the same week the research was being carried out.

It supported traditional gender roles.

‘In our view, the interest and debate that followed the letter demonstrates the need for surveys such as this one, which elicit public opinion on social and cultural issues,’ she said.

‘We would also add that there is no evidence the media attention led to any bias in the results – at least, the findings for Guernsey and Jersey are very similar.’

Ms Jefferies added: ‘Across the islands, a notable proportion of residents believe workplace practices surrounding equal pay, parental leave and flexible working, and legislative reforms to offer more protection, are key areas that need addressed.

‘The influence of education in challenging gender roles and stereotypes in schools and workplaces was also highlighted.

‘More than half saw a role for policies and initiatives to promote gender equality, but with limits – in their comments, many argued against the use of quotas.’