Most Americans believe women face discrimination

By Barry Eitel

SAN FRANCISCO

Just months before Americans might elect the country's first female president, a survey released Wednesday finds that 75 percent of the nation believe women face discrimination in the U.S.

Hillary Clinton made history last month when she became the first female presidential candidate from a major political party in the U.S., but it appears most Americans believe women have to go before achieving equality.

However, three-quarters of American also believe gender discrimination has decreased in the past 25 years.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted the Aug. 11 – 14 poll that surveyed about 1,100 adults in all 50 states.

The survey included specific questions about Clinton’s unprecedented nomination and found women and men are split in predicting how gender affects her electability.

"The impact of the country's first female nominee is perceived differently across the electorate including how Clinton's gender will impact her chances of being elected and what the long-term effects will be on gender discrimination," Trevor Tompson, director of The AP-NORC Center, said in a statement. "For example, women and men are divided in their perception of the role gender will play in the outcome. Women are more inclined to say that Clinton's gender is a disadvantage, while men tend to say the fact that she is a woman will help her chances of being elected.”

Surprisingly, most participants claim Clinton’s gender does not actually play a role in determining if they will vote for her. The survey found 60 percent of respondents believe a Clinton presidency would not have any effect on the level of gender discrimination.

The workplace is definitely a battleground for equality – a majority of those surveyed believed that the workplace is an uneven playing field for women and that women are disadvantaged when it comes to salaries.

Approximately half of the women surveyed reported they personally experienced discrimination in the workplace, ranging from difficulty in finding a job to unequal pay to being underappreciated.