Survey looks at what women want

A survey of 10,000 women workers by the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has uncovered more information about what women want from work.

The survey asked questions about the experiences of women in the modern workplace. And what they want from their employer and their job. The survey sought women’s views on a diverse range of issues, which generated interesting findings.

Over 90% of the replies were from women working in the Australian Public Sector (APS).Of the top ten largest public sector agencies; seven of them have more women than men. Go girls!

Still two in five of the surveyed women said that taking time out for family reasons disadvantaged their career prospects. And there was continuing concern for issues of bullying, pressure to work over-time, sexual harassment and discrimination. One recipient reported that bullying is part of their workplace culture and embedded in management practices. Further findings from the survey supported this.

The survey found that two in five women reported bullying, 6.2% reported sexual harassment and one quarter had experienced some kind of discrimination. Many women expressed they had not officially reported these incidents due to fear of losing their job, humiliation and the difficulty of proving what happened.

On the up side, the What Women Want Survey showed that women were attracted to the public service because of the type of work available and the flexible working conditions.  The majority was satisfied or very satisfied with their working conditions and with their level of job security.  They also reported feeling a sense of achievement from their work.

Will we ever know what women want? The survey has raised some important issues to think about for women in the workplace.

For more information, visit CPSU or see the 2008 What Women Want Survey.

Have you say at the Worksite student blog. What do you want from work? Is it more than money? Is it different for part-time and casual jobs? Is there a difference between a job and a career for you? Have your say.