Many organizations have a policy prohibiting their employees from discussing salaries with each other. We can safely assume that employees disregard plenty company policies on a regular basis. Sneaking in a few minutes late. Checking Facebook every once in a while – or maybe all the time. You might think salary discussions are another example of employees ignoring their bosses, but that might not be the case. A recent survey from CareerBuilder suggests that men and women have starkly different views of gender inequality in the workplace – especially when it comes to income.

Here’s what the survey found:

From the women’s perspective:
-38 percent feel they earn less than their male counterparts
-39 percent believe men have more opportunities to advance their career
-36 percent believe men receive more recognition for accomplishments
-35 percent believe their decision not to rub elbows with upper management (while the men are doing it) is the reason for the pay and advancement disparity
-22 percent cited favoritism toward men as the reason for the income and advancement differences

From the men’s perspective:
-84 percent believe males and females with the same qualifications are paid the same
-72 percent believe opportunities for advancement are the same for both genders
-6 percent believe they are paid less than their female counterparts
-17 percent believe women have more opportunities for advancement
-18 percent say women receive more kudos for accomplishment

Salary reality
If you’re the one handing out the paychecks, you know more than anybody how inaccurate the men’s salary (and overall) outlook is. What you might not realize is how large the gap is between the sexes:

Of surveyed female workers:
-40 percent earn $35,000 or less
-25 percent earn $50,000 or more
-3 percent earn $100,000 or more
-21 percent hold a management position
-49 percent hold a clinical or administrative position

Of surveyed male workers:
-24 percent earn $35,000 or less
-45 percent earn $50,000 or more
-10 percent earn $100,000 or more
-20 percent hold a management position
-25 percent are in a clinical or administrative role

And once you drill down into specific industries, you can see where the gaps are widest:

For government workers:
“59 percent of male government workers surveyed reported they make $50,000 or more, compared to 30 percent of women. On the other end of the pay scale, 29 percent of women reported they make $35,000 or less, compared to 13 percent of men.”

In health care:
“12  percent of men make $100,000 or more, compared to just 4 percent of women.”

According to retail workers:
“15 percent of men surveyed reported they make $50,000 or more, compared to 12 percent of women. On the other end of the pay scale, 61 percent of women reported they make $35,000 or less, compared to 50 percent of men.”

In sales:
“49 percent of salesmen surveyed reported they make $50,000 or more, compared to 28 percent of saleswomen. Thirteen percent of men make $100,000 or more, compared to just 9 percent of women.”

Looking at how the disparity repeatedly plays out, it’s obvious that gender inequality is alive and well in the workplace. What’s interesting to note is that, if you judge by the survey, this news is not news at all for women. Yet, for men, it’s not how they see things. Even if your employees aren’t openly discussing their paychecks, women are aware of where they stand in the business world.