March 26, 2026
About half of adults believe men have more opportunities than women when it comes to competitive wages and job advancement. About half say men have more opportunities for competitive wages (54%) and job advancement (51%), while 41% say men and women have about the same opportunities in these areas. Fewer see a gender gap in opportunities for flexible work and in education, with a majority believing these areas are equitable.
The perception gap is even wider among employed adults. About 60% employed women believe men have more opportunities than women for competitive wages and for job advancement, compared with roughly 40% employed men who say the same. Employed men are more likely than employed women to say that men and women have about the same opportunities in these areas.
Thirty percent of employed women say they have personally experienced discrimination in getting equal wages because of their gender, compared with 12% of employed men. Employed women are also slightly more likely than employed men to say they have missed out on a promotion or recognition at work (25% vs. 17%).
Beyond perceptions and experiences of discrimination, employed women are more likely than employed men to report financial stress. About 3 in 5 employed women say the amount of money they get paid (55%) is a major source of stress, compared with 44% of employed men. Employed women are also more likely than employed men to say the cost of housing (59% vs. 43%), the cost of groceries (62% vs. 45%), the cost of health care (56% vs. 45%), and the cost of electricity (45% vs. 32%) are major stressors.
Most Americans, regardless of gender or employment status, believe men and women have about the same opportunities when it comes to higher education (70%), and access to flexible work schedules or remote work (65%).
The nationwide poll was conducted February 5-8, 2026 using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,156 adults. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 3.9 percentage points.
- Suggested Citation: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “Most adults perceive gender gaps in pay and promotion opportunities” (February 2026). https://apnorc.org/projects/most-adults-perceive-gender-gaps-in-pay-and-promotion-opportunities/
