That’s according to the first-ever gender equality study conducted by the Wonder Women of Wine and The Wine Nerd. The study also found the same number estimate it will take 10+ years to reach equality in wine.
Men and women view the top three barriers to gender equality the same: women are judged by different standards, women are less likely to be promoted to leadership roles, and women don’t receive as much mentorship.
“It was encouraging to see our respondents believe their organizations’ hiring practices are two times more fair than the industry as a whole, suggesting wineries, retail shops, distributors, importers and others are making headway when it comes to gender equality,” says Rania Zayyat, founder of Wonder Women of Wine. “However, 35% of women – compared to 27% of men – feel they are not compensated fairly for work and there are big differences on how they look to move that needle.”
The majority of male respondents understand how to increase their income (64%) and feel comfortable negotiating (60%), while women were half as likely to agree with either, reporting 31% and 28% respectively.
When asked about harassment on the job, nearly two out of three women and almost one-third of men say they have been harassed or assaulted by a peer or colleague. However, of those who reported being harassed or assaulted, women were more than two times as likely to report their response to such behavior impacts their career. On the upside, more than half of all responses (60%) reported they have a safety net or outlet within their organization to report any unwanted advances and 54% said such advances are handled properly within their organizations.
In January, Wonder Women of Wine sent a survey to Wonder Women of Wine Conference attendees and the organization’s mailing list and shared via social channels, resulting in 554 responses representing a disproportionate number of female respondents in the wine industry. As a result, the study cannot make conclusions about the state of the entire wine industry or population. The purpose of the study, one of the only industry studies addressing gender issues on the job, was to help identify topics and issues to address at the annual conference and to consider for further study. The study did not collect race, ethnicity, or place of residence.