Sponsored content powered by ICMA strategic partner, MissionSquare Retirement.

A recent blog post explored attitudes of public sector employees 35 and under by race and ethnicity, exploring differences in such issues as prior public sector experience and top factors influencing interest in the field. In connection with MissionSquare Research Institute’s Issue Brief: 35 and Under in the Public Sector – Comparisons by Gender, this post highlights differences in how male and female employees responded.

A new research brief by MissionSquare Research Institute comparing the sentiment of younger public service employees by gender reveals only 23% of women feel very financially secure as compared to 43% of men. This research comes as state and local governments continue to struggle drawing younger workers into public service careers.

The financial concerns of women extend to perceptions of public sector salaries and benefits, with female respondents rating both lower than male respondents. Only 8% of women consider their salary very competitive, in contrast to 19% of men. Regarding benefits, 15% of women view them as very competitive, while 30% of men hold this sentiment.

Other key findings:

• While health insurance garnered about equal satisfaction by gender (with just over half saying they were extremely or very satisfied), female respondents were less likely to be satisfied with other aspects of their compensation and benefits, with the greatest differences for paid family leave, retirement benefits, and salary.
• The ability to save and invest for retirement among younger public workers varies significantly by gender. For example, 64% of younger women say they cannot afford to save more, significantly higher than men (46%).
• Across eight different categories of employee benefits, male respondents were more likely than female respondents to indicate they understood those issues very or somewhat well. This could either reflect a more thorough understanding of those concepts among men, or greater confidence in their understanding of those concepts.
• Male and female respondents generally agreed on valuing workplace professionalism (60%) and innovation (44%). Beyond that, most aspects of workplace culture were rated as more important by female respondents.

For more details, check out the full issue brief as well as the general findings in 35 and Under in the Public Sector: Why Younger Workers Enter and Why They Stay (or Don't).

Two additional issue briefs will be released in coming weeks, outlining how attitudes vary among those 18-26 and 27-35 and those working in different industries within government, such as public safety, public works, health and human services, and education. To be notified of new research, subscribe to the Institute’s e-newsletter.