Gender equality in the workplace remains a topical issue, as highlighted by International Women‟s Day on the 8th March 2011 which was centred on the theme of “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: pathway to decent work for women”. The Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) released a press statement in support of this day, signalling its commitment to addressing pervading gender differences within the Institution and the field of environmental sciences as a whole.

Tackling these issues requires a better understanding of the current issues in female employment, salary differences, career progression and parental leave. In August 2010 the IES invited its Fellows, Full and Associate Members to take part in an employment survey, which questioned them regarding their current employment. This is the second in a series of reports outlining the results of this survey. This report specifically addresses current employment differences between men and women, looking in particular at employment status, salaries, sector choices, work hours and the exercise of rights to maternity and paternity leave. In seeking a better understanding of existing gender differences, the IES aims to identify areas where these issues can be addressed within the organisation and the sector as a whole.

The first section of this report outlines the method of surveying the members, followed by the results relating to gender differences in the responses. From these results, conclusions and recommendations are drawn for the consideration by the IES Council and the membership.