The outlook of the millennials surveyed could be chalked up to youthful optimism, but these young women weren’t naively unaware of the challenges they face — four in every 10 women saw the gender wage gap as a key issue. And the top concern for women of all ages across the globe was work-life balance, with 44 percent of women listing it as a major challenge.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women currently earn 78 cents for every dollar paid to men, while mothers make a mere 70 cents for every dollar paid to fathers (a.k.a. they pay the ” mommy tax “). While the wage gap is indeed closing, if it continues to move at the same pace as it has the last 50 years, equal pay won’t be achieved until 2059 , according to estimates from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Work-life balance can seem equally as far-fetched for women, who tend to do more of the housework than their male partners, even when they’re the primary breadwinners .