Millennial Women More Optimistic on Achieving Gender Parity

NEW YORK — Although the majority of women around the world, regardless of age, say they are paid less and not treated equitably in society, millennial women are more positive about their ability to grow their careers compared to older generations.

Women in the millennial generation perceive more equality in professional development and are more positive than Baby Boomers in terms of fair pay, the position or treatment of women and overall gender equality, reported Nielsen, which explored the evolution of women's attitudes and beliefs alongside the discussion of gender equity for International Women's Day, which took place on March 8.

However, there is still room for improvement; 20 percent of millennial and 25 percent of Baby Boomer women said they "strongly agree" that women are less likely to be considered for senior-level roles in a business/corporate setting than their male counterparts.

Additionally, once they are in those senior roles, Nielsen's research found that 66 percent of women, regardless of age, say that female leaders have to work harder to prove themselves.

Millennial women are also much more positive about the state of their finances than Baby Boomer women, possibly because of optimism about their job prospects in the next 12 months, as half of millennial women feel positively about their professional prospects.

Nielsen additionally found that when asked about issues such as overall gender equality, pay equity for women, perceived progress for women in society, and the impact of having a child on the professional prospects of women, men were more positive than women.