Gender differences in self‐perceived success

Abstract

That women are less well‐paid than men is well‐documented. How women perceive their apparent lack of “success” in the labour force is less discussed. Examines how a sample of Australian women perceive their levels of success relative to their male counterparts and one another. A sample of 284 public sector employees was surveyed as part of a broader study into career success in the Australian public sector. Overall it was found that, despite having significantly lower levels of pay and positions within the organization, the women in the study felt as successful as the men. When compared with one another, however, women who had experienced career interruptions felt significantly less successful than women who had continuous careers. This was despite the fact that the women with continuous careers were still significantly less well‐paid than the men.