Gender Equality: 28% Of American Men Believe Recent Advances Have Come At Their Expense

Twenty-eight percent of men believe advances in gender equality have come at their expense, a new report from Pew Research Center reveals. The report surveyed 3,000 U.S. men and women from March 18 to April 1.

The survey found political party affiliation could impact how individuals view gender equality. The report shows 38% of Republican men believe women’s equality came at the expense of men, compared to 19% of Democratic men.

Majorities of men and women believe that the United States has made strides in gender equality in the last 10 years. From 2010 to 2019, the number of female Congress members increased by 40%. Between January 2017 and August 2019, the labor force participation rate of women in their prime working years increased, as the economy continued to recover from the damage of the financial crisis of 2008.

At the same time, a majority of Americans believe the country has not gone far enough in giving women equal rights with men. More than nine in 10 Americans believe it is very important or somewhat important that men and women have equal rights, with 57% of survey respondents saying the U.S. still has progress to make on gender equality.

The #MeToo movement, which began in 2017, saw multiple women accuse public male figures such as film producer Harvey Weinstein and “Today” host Matt Lauer of sexual harassment or abuse. The movement has provoked new discussions among Americans on how the country should move forward on gender equality, especially in the workplace.

The Pew survey comes nearly a century after the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1920, granting women the right to vote in all 50 states. The Amendment allowed 26 million women to vote in time for the presidential election that year between Republican Warren G. Harding and Democrat James M. Cox.

Other important milestones include the 1963 Equal Pay Act, signed by President John F. Kennedy, which prohibited sex-based wage discrimination, and the 1964 Civil Rights Act, banning employment discrimination based on gender.