We first asked women two basic questions: (1) “Do you think men and women are paid equally at your employer” and (2) “Do you think men and women are promoted equally at your employer.” We then filtered their answers to compare them with subsequent questions about their likelihood to vote for Clinton and Trump. What we found is that a woman’s experience with gender equality in the workplace seemed to have no correlation with which candidate they favored for the Presidency. You might think that women who experienced gender inequality at work would be more inclined to support Clinton, who would be making history as the ultimate breaker of political glass ceilings if she were to win the election this fall. However, it didn’t appear to be the case that personal experiences with gender issues in the workplace were related to the way these women were inclined to vote.
What did correlate with a working women’s future vote was her household income levels. Those women whose household incomes were over $100,000/year in salary were more likely to say they would vote for Clinton, while those who were inclined to vote for Trump seemed to skew demographically in the following way: married with children, with household incomes under $100,000.
Fairygodboss survey of women in the workplace: How likely are you to vote for Trump?
Fairygodboss survey of women in the workplace: How likely are you to vote for Clinton?
The take-away? Whether your manager is a man or a woman, don’t make assumptions about how your boss or CEO will vote in the coming election. At the very least it’s going to be hard to predict their preferences based on their experiences and opinions about gender equality in the workplace.
Do you have any thoughts about gender in this election season? If so, share your opinions with other women in our community.
Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.